Waiting for the Light Before Dawn
by shortlived
Summary: War spreads as humanity is tested, divided and eradicated. Survival was hard enough for Alexis, adding Starscream back to the mix will bring further complications; all the good, bad, and tragedy of it. Sequel to The Dark Spark of Renewal. Complete.
1. Wedding

Two years, four months and three days; Bumblebee didn't know when everything started to become measured by how long Starscream had been gone. However, he knew it surely had to do with Alexis, and the way she made him feel. Time did nothing for it at all except make his devotion to her become that much fiercer. He didn't speak of his love to her anymore, not since after picking her up all those years ago. Starscream officially made it discernible that she was his, for he had marked and branded Alexis even stronger with his energy signature.

It was challenging in the weeks that followed the Seeker's departure, for Alexis became a strange creature. Her moods were increasingly erratic. Angry one moment, cursing the next, looking at him or any other Autobot as if he was an enemy who was in need of termination. Starscream's strong presence took over Alexis' personality. She fought against it though, eventually finding her identity again as she acclimated and grew from the experience.

And then she waited. Hope spread around Alexis, her eyes always shifting to the horizon.

Months passed while building their new base. Everyone worked together until it was complete. Security was installed and barriers put in place. Holographic projectors used that made the haven of safety appear as an open field. Measures were also taken so that its identity would remain hidden.

Going on several missions the group started with just Bumblebee, Sam and his own hand-picked soldiers, ending up with Mikaela as well. They all made quite a team, their reputation growing as did their rate of success. Mika eventually opted out when Ratchet began to train her. Alexis began to learn electronics.

Optimus watched all the human's progress. He took a couple of them on his diplomatic drives until only Alexis, and a few others remained. Prime and a small batch from the diplomatic cores went out as they brought more humans and soldiers to their cause. Because of Alexis on one such occasion a riot and near violent confrontation was quashed when the girl stood between the angry humans and Optimus Prime. She calmed everyone down; her words were inspired, lifting the prejudice against the Cybertronians long enough for terms to be drawn. A more hopeful future left for that group when there might not have been any.

Beginning with that instance, Alexis gained respect and a following that she believed she was unworthy of. Optimus scrubbing that out of her quickly enough as he showed her the results of their hard efforts.

And here they were over a year later with most of humanity on their side; many divided into cell groups and teams for their cause. More than a few Autobot/human bases around the world as their goal of expelling the Decepticon occupation came closer to a reality. Life continued as humans found the courage to thrive through it all.

* * *

The wedding was over. Bee had been to similar functions before, but not one so elaborate that involved his closest friends.

Sam and Mikaela were now officially married. Optimus himself walked Mika down the aisle where the two exchanged vows along with a rather exuberant kiss. Cheers echoed, a party following afterward that put all others before it to shame. The celebration was still going on well into the night and showed no signs of ending.

The moment Bumblebee saw Alexis in the dress she was wearing; he was unable to look away. She was more practical with her usual attire, and while she always looked nice to him, nothing could have compared to how a simple pale green dress pulled out her femininity, and displayed it for all to see. Her curves were soft and apparent underneath the silken material with a modest neckline giving a view of her delicate collar-bone, the fabric hugging at her waist before flowing downwards. The way it moved along with her body made Alexis appear as if she was floating along a billowy puff of air.

He forced himself to look away. Bumblebee was sufficiently distracted when a few women came and asked him for a dance. None of the dances were as perfect as the one he shared with Mikaela, now Mikaela Witwicky.

"I told you that you would do just fine," Mika told Bee as they circled around the dance floor. Her tan skin peaked out under the sharp cut of the white wedding dress. Many a jealous eye looked his way. "Now go find Alexis. Tell her she has to dance with the best man. It is a rule."

He handed the bride over to her husband, but not before receiving a soft kiss from Mikaela on his cheek and a rather strong hug from Sam. The three said their good-byes before the two went off to prepare for their departure.

Wandering off, slicing through the crowd, Bumblebee looked for Alexis. However, she wasn't in the area, and coming to think of it; he hadn't seen her for some time.

Leaving the function, moving down a path, he caught his reflection on one of the metal walls. He was wearing a tuxedo that Sam had helped him design for the wedding. By the response from the females, his friend was right. It _did_ do something for their hormone levels.

Rounding a corner he bumped into the object of his search. Alexis dropped something as it shattered at their feet. Liquid bled; some of it splattering against his pant legs and the bottom of her dress. She looked disappointed. A flash of anger followed, eyes digging into his with an edge that quickly softened.

"Alexis... I was looking for you. That is... I am supposed to..." Suddenly, the thought of asking her to dance seemed ridiculous and foolish. Bumblebee clamped down on his words, noticing as he looked at her more openly that something was off.

"I..." Alexis started, stopped and began again. "I have to find Rad... he is, I am. That is..." She shook her head, eyebrows bunching upwards, her words slurred and soft. "I promised I would dance with him." Alexis took a step forward as she swayed. About to spill backwards, Bee gripped firm to her wrist and pulled. She fell against his chest, Alexis' breath gushing out.

"You are inebriated."

"What!" Her eyes flashed up, her chin bumping against his when she tried to pull away. Somehow he managed to hold onto her hands. "I am _not_ drunk!" Alexis pulled one of her hands out of his, poking him in the chest and then bringing it up in front of her face; she swayed her fingers back and forth. "Although I never knew I had fifteen fingers on my right hand. Hey, that could come in handy. You wouldn't know how I have, wait... I wonder... do you think I have that many toes now? That would mean I would have to find some new shoes and..." Once more she started to wiggle. Her right foot came out of one of the short heeled shoes she wore as she looked at it. "No. Still only five," she said, "see!" Alexis rubbed her foot against the bottom of his leg. Bee's joints stiffened as his eyes widened.

"Alexis?" he managed. The simple utterance broke up halfway.

"What? Oh. Right. Rad... You're right. A promise is a promise and..." She made a move to get past. Bee stopped her as he wrapped a hand around her arm, leading her away. Sideswipe walked by slowly, examining what was going on. A knowing look flashed through his optics as he had the gall to chuckle.

Bumblebee went into the first door he could grab onto and pulled Alexis inside the building. Bee was not willing for her to go to the male that he recalled had been looking and watching her that night with more open interest.

After turning around he found a long vast pool before them. Right away, Bee regretted where he led them to. Leaning her against the white stoned wall, he studied her. The unlit room was covered in shadows. Alexis' face hidden, she looked away.

"How much did you drink?" he asked gently.

"Drink? I told you... oh wait. I did have a glass of champagne. No, half a glass because you broke it, and it is now... why are you looking at me like that mister? Are you calling me a liar? After all these years and you don't even trust me!"

She walked forward, pushing Bee repeatedly. The light in her eyes grew with each thrust. Bumblebee found he couldn't look away. However, suddenly her attention wasn't on the scout anymore but what was behind him. She unexpectedly leaned against him, her hand pushing firmly against his shoulder as the other reached behind her back. Bumblebee became still. He watched with more fascination than he had allowed himself in quite a while as she unexpectedly shimmied out of the dress, the article of clothing falling around her feet as she walked out of it and kicked it away. By then he was completely immobile, his mouth suddenly heavy with the need to drop open. Bee's eyes filled to the brim with white flesh and black satin. His pseudo heart was thumping so hard within his chest cavity that he felt an explosion was imminent.

And then she took off in a run, hands coming before her, she dove. The water accepted Alexis with a soft splash before she pushed herself to the bottom. Swimming underneath, the thin material of the long slip curled around her legs, making her appeared as a fabled mermaid under the dim lighting and moving waters.

At first, he was ready to dive in after. But despite her condition, she seemed all right. Alexis was absolutely delighted as she swam and played in the water with childish vigor. Bee planted his feet at the edge, mesmerized. He knew the performance in progress was far better than the dance he originally sought. Alexis eventually made her way toward the ladder where she started to ascend. He averted his gaze. Eying a couple of towels not far from behind him, Bee went and got one. Alexis appeared right behind him as he held it out to her. She took it, wrapping the towel around her body. She sat down on the long bench lining the far wall, leaning and stretching, hands combing through her wet hair before she shook her head to and fro. Strands flew wildly back and forth, water droplets crashing outwards until she stilled, tendrils sticking to her face.

She smiled wide. "That was wonderful! Usually I have to get up way early to have the pool to myself. And it beats having to dance with anyone else tonight. One would think just because I was the maid of honor that it means I have to dance with every male friend of Mika's!" She turned to him. Her mouth suddenly curled up as she leaned toward him. Her hand reached to grab his own. "You know... you would have been the one..." Alexis tightened her grip, pulling her body upwards as she stood before him. She breathed in his ear. "...if Starscream never came along."

His posture becoming erect, he backed away from her in surprise. Shock snaked through his body. Alexis only edged closer, suddenly giggling, a rather jarring sound that rippled through his flesh.

"Of course, if I never met Starscream, I would have never met you. And I love Starscream, and he is obsessed with his love for me... and... well... just wanted you to know. Never know, I might die today or tomorrow, or I could just drop dead right now... and..."

Bee didn't mean to shake Alexis. But shake her, he did. Something broke within that he had forced to remain dormant for over two years. He started to feel heady; the air around them was suddenly thick.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Alexis huffed. "As if a pig is behind us with a gold ring in its snout. Of course, I am not calling myself beautiful, but I still know about discretion and propriety and..." She suddenly shrieked. Turning around and away from him, she opened her towel a smidgen. "Bumble. Where is my dress? And why am I wet? And..."

"Calm down, you went for a swim. Don't you recall?" he said, trying to ease her with his soft words.

She turned around, gripping the towel firmly, Alexis' knuckles whitened from the pressure being applied. "A swim! But... didn't... I mean... a wedding... yes... Mikaela got married. And she gave me a glass of wine and... drunk! As if I would really be." She took a deep breath, and then much to Bee's amazement she started to sing. "...high as a kite I just might stop to check you out. Gotta go wild like a..."

Alexis flashed around, and the melody ended abruptly. Eyebrows rising high, she cringed. "What is going on, Bee?"

"You _aren't_ drunk."

Alexis scoffed at that, "Of course not."

Bee's brows lifted. "However, it appears the alcohol did not mix well with the chemicals in your body. I will take you to Ratchet. Something is wrong."

"You will do no such thing!" Her eyes narrowed; fists formed. "I will not be poked and prodded! I am a human with rights, and I demand the fifth amendment, or is it the fourth or..."

The way she spoke Bumblebee knew her moment of clarity was gone. She slumped suddenly; Bee rushed to her. Alexis stiffened. She stared hard before the glare died down.

"Bee," she breathed, hands meeting his arms. Alexis' fingers pressed against him as his muscles involuntarily pinched. "You look really good in a tux, but that doesn't mean you have any right to take my dress off."

"Alexis, I didn't..."

"Shh, it's okay," she whispered, pressing one of her fingers against his mouth. "I see how you look at me... It's okay to be curious, but I am not that kind of girl no matter how good-looking you are... human _or _car." Her fingers left his mouth, and suddenly she was leaning against him. Alexis' wet body pressed against his stiff tux. She pulled back. "But there are plenty of other girls who would love to have you. You'll pick one out soon enough. I am easily replaceable and..."

"No. You are not."

"It's all right Bee. I want to be replaced. I want you to be happy. And I really, really want..."

"What?" he asked. His voice was low, and despite what they were talking about it was almost a pleasure to eject the word from his mouth.

"My dress silly. How about you give it back to me."

* * *

Alexis' actions were amusing at first, even turned into a form of temptation. But when it was all said and done he was relieved when she was dressed once more.

However, once her mouth clamped shut everything was replaced with looks, gazes and small lingering touches. When Alexis managed to squish him against the wall, staring up at him with those wide eyes of hers as she leaned forward soaking in his warmth, that was when, with her energy brushing out and along him, the soothing sensation of loss and then rocketing pleasure mounting, Bumblebee knew it was time to stop.

He just never thought it would end up with him carrying Alexis to her quarters. Images came into play as he realized it was how many a groom took their bride over the threshold. Bee nearly dropped her when she started to lean upwards, nuzzling against him. Heated breath caused his body to respond as suddenly he felt heavy, his clothes tight, an unfamiliar ache building.

Getting Alexis into bed was a chore on its own. Her hands continually strayed and her legs were pushing. By the time Bumblebee had her wrapped in a comforter, he was ready to terminate his holo-form. Ready to take a long drive and find an isolated place to meditate the stirring sensations away.

First, he made a call.

A knock followed not long afterward. He let Julia in and then quickly explained things. The girl was still attired in her bride's maid dress, but more than ready to assist as she helped him out by watching over Alexis. Fortunately, she looked up to the task, even though she had been at the wedding bash for hours. Thanking the young woman, he made his escape as soon as he was able.


	2. Day

Waking up and finding Julia scrunched up and snoring softly in a chair beside her bed had Alexis' memories shooting through her as they collided with the morning. She was more relieved that the wedding was over than the fact that she had pretty much made a fool of herself.

Getting the southerner up and feeding her some breakfast, Alexis almost had Julia out of her quarters before she could ask any embarrassing questions. Of course, she managed one just the same. Getting up, Julia pushed the plate toward Alexis as she leaned forward. Hazel eyes held hers firmly across the marble island in the kitchen.

"So, why exactly was Bee rushin' out of here in such a hurry last night? And why did he want me t'watch you?" she asked. Julia was now wearing some of Alexis' clothes that she must have borrowed sometime during the night. Pulling her long blond hair back into a messy ponytail, Julia returned her gaze.

Alexis told the truth.

"Man if Bumblebee looked at me the way he looks at you..." Julia sighed. "Well, let's just say it would more than make me forget about the other that... you know... _abandoned_ me."

It was too much and the girl seemed to realize that as soon as her words were out. She started to apologize. Alexis accepted it quickly enough. Making excuses, she got rid of the newly turned eighteen-year-old. Alexis knew there was more behind Julia's simple statement than she was willing to speak of that morning.

Eyes sweeping across the large space now that she was alone, Alexis once more marveled at what was her home. The Autobots provided more than comfort and a place to live, but were seemingly willing to spoil as well. The quarters did not compare to the cramped room she was given on the first Autobot base. She had many rooms now, a marriage of Cybertronian and human fixtures and technology that served as her very own apartments. They were more than large enough for her and most certainly spacious enough to share.

Sometimes, when she would come home from a rather long stint with Optimus, she would return to her quarters, door shutting behind her, guilt falling across Alexis' shoulders as she was haunted by the faces of those suffering just to eat, to have shelter and to provide for their family. For Alexis knew that there were still so many more in such desperate need. However, that was why she clung to her new purpose. She did everything in her power so that they had food, a place to stay, but more than that had hope.

When she was given the opportunity, Alexis tried to instill in them a faith. One that she had tried to ignore after she lost her best friend Diana, her belief building and growing, a new passion formed that compared to nothing else. She wanted them to know her God as she did. To believe in his promises and know that no matter what they never had to feel alone again.

Springing upwards she went to her bedroom. Her palm pressing against a panel, the wall folded outwards as clothes swung forward. Grabbing those that she needed Alexis changed. Staring at the rumpled dress on the floor, Alexis knew she owed Bee an apology. She chuckled when she remembered that look on his face when she began to sing to him.

Sitting down on the bed, Alexis quickly tied her shoes on. A groan escaped her lips when a chime sounded, announcing she had a visitor.

"Yes?" she asked after activating vocal transmission only.

"Alexandra, Bumblebee asked me to stop by."

She cringed, wondering what they talked about. However, knowing Bee, he probably said just enough to get the medic there. Fortunately, she trusted Ratchet anyway. He knew more about her, and what she

went through physically than anyone else. He even knew what Alexis and Starscream had shared, and were potentially on the verge of becoming.

Letting him in, she sat down at one of the stools in the open kitchen. He approached her. Alexis saw that once more he was experimenting with his features. His hair was shorter than ever with stubble on his chin. His clothes actually appeared rumpled and lived in as if to state that no matter what form he was in; he was one busy person.

He lifted an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curling ever so slightly. "Drank a little last night?"

"As I told Bumblebee, I barely even had half a glass."

Looking her over Ratchet put his glasses on, a newly added accessory that functioned as an all in one examining tool. She wasn't about to tell him that it made his eyes seem abnormally large and rather comical, especially not since after he had created the apparatus their exams went quicker than ever.

"So, will I live, Ratchet?" she asked.

"Longer than most my dear. You are quite healthy. All though it would seem that your nanites are rather adverse to the consumption of alcohol. Is this to become a regular habit?"

She shrugged. Ratchet sat down beside her.

"It was my first, and last time," she told him.

Alexis didn't tell him that after helping Mika prepare for the wedding, watching Julia design and make the dresses, helping with the food, and everything else in between as she had to watch the couple interact on more of a personal level that she needed to see, left her feeling oddly bereft and just ready for it all to be over with. After the fifth dance following the wedding, she had started to entertain the strange thought of getting drunk. Almost desperate for the sensation when somehow she had been needled into saving a dance for Rad. He was a nice enough guy as any and now a competent soldier. However, he irked Alexis because he refused to believe that she was in a relationship with a Cybertronian.

"Yes, I would suggest that you refrain from partaking again. How do you feel this morning?" the medic inquired.

"Fine. Clear. Much better than last night."

"Good. And how have the dreams been of late?"

She flinched, refusing to think about the nightmares she had of late that were worse than any that she had ever had before. For when she woke Alexis had no idea what they had been about, only left with a sense of dread and unshakable terror. It had been a long time since she had such a thing. The chaotic dreams all started up again when Sam gave Alexis the news that he and Mika were to marry. That had been two months ago.

"Fine. The sleeping pills you gave me have helped some. And... haven't had any bad dreams for the past week," Alexis let him know.

"Excellent."

She smiled at him a little even though she wasn't feeling it, thankful when Ratchet finally left. Alexis was more than ready to see him again, just on terms where she wasn't in need of his services.

* * *

Alexis had to run to the training area to get there on time. She knew if she was late that she would get a long speech about punctuality, and how it showed a lot of someone's character and their value on respect. As if someone could always fight every single circumstance and distraction, especially with everything going on around them. Nevertheless, she wasn't in the mood for a speech.

Twenty minutes later she found herself on the other end of a stern gaze. Prowl's choice for his human form was as unique as it was him, short white hair, sharp gray eyes, average height and a well-defined frame. Prowl wore all black, a belt around his middle; Autobot symbols lined each shoulder followed by white dashes that ran down the length of his arms. Alexis was in similar attire, although hers was a dark green. She wore a modest tank top in place of the long shirt, the belt abandoned.

"You are favoring your right foot again today," Prowl told her, looking at the appendage as if it was doing it on its own accord.

"That is because I _am_ right-handed."

"Just the same, if I can pick it up so will your enemy. Come at me again only this time try to think past your favored inclinations," he ordered.

She bowed her head forward. Over eight months Prowl had taught her from several variations of martial arts as he created his own style. He was a stern teacher, expecting much and pushing her hard. The strange thing was that she loved every minute of it. Even when after it was done she was sore in places she didn't know she had. Even when his instructions became something out of a boot camp on a land mine, his exercises a lesson on just how far she could take herself. Yet Alexis was getting to know the tactician better as she saw glimpses beyond his stern external self. She was finding out that he actually had a sense of humor along with a deep sense of honor.

Alexis pushed off the ball of her right foot, springing forward. Punching out with her right hand, she kicked up with her left leg. The Autobot swiped her hand easily away as he caught her ankle.

"Too slow," Prowl reprimanded. "Try again."

Repeatedly, she came at him. It took her three times before her left foot finally impacted with enough force to push him back.

"Better."

They moved on. Both did a couple of sets on forms, working on different stances, and then ending as they always did with a free all out sparing match. When they were over, she sat down on the ground breathing deeply. Prowl hovered over her as he handed Alexis a water bottle.

"You did well today, Alexandra. A little unfocused, but your friends married and departing yesterday followed by what I heard was quite the celebration, must be the cause of this."

She thought of the honeymoon the two were on. Sam and Mika were going to be gone for several months as they started their new life. Her friends were beginning by helping set up a camp as another base was built.

"Are you sure you only trained for a year?" Prowl sat down beside Alexis.

She shook her head. "Yeah, just a year. Both Diana and I took the karate class. She stopped after a week though."

"She mastered karate in a week?" His brows rising high, soft eyes studied her.

"No, but she got what she wanted, and the reason for her taking the classes to begin with: the teacher," Alexis told him as she gave Prowl a lopsided smile.

"And you stopped because?"

"Because after Diana was killed, I lost interest in a lot of things." Her tone lost the amusement as seriousness came into play.

"I see." As usual, Prowl didn't offer an apology outright, but she felt it in the two words just the same. Getting up, she bowed slightly.

"Thank you for today's lesson," she said, smiling. "I will see you when I get back."

He nodded his head forward and with that, his holo-form shimmered away.

* * *

With Sam and Mika gone Alexis found her life oddly empty. The three shared a lot more than she realized, but now she missed. The lunches they had, the conversations, just the talking of their days over with one another or even going for drives.

Although Alexis was starting something new now that the two were gone. Somehow she had been talked into working with Bee. Optimus felt confident that he had things in hand for the time being, as she was given an opportunity to take on and learn something new. Of course, she had worked with Bumblebee before, but a part of her felt uncomfortable starting something different. She had become familiar and accustomed to working with the Autobot leader. And while she wasn't exactly being thrust into the middle of battle, the new task did fill her with an unease that she didn't quite understand.

It didn't help that the assignment signified that she also had to work with Rad and his team of rag-tag soldiers. Rad's attention upon her of late made her uncomfortable. He was nice enough and obviously a decent person, but her heart was filled to the brim with Starscream. Even the most innocent of dreams she had of the Seeker could compare to nothing else. Human men would never seem the same to her.

God, she missed Starscream. The Seeker giving her a communication module so that they could speak without having to go through official channels, did little good when his contacts over the years became less and less. Until she had to stop putting hope in the sound of his voice. Starscream's distance was so far that the space relay between them became hindered. At least, she still got the odd report from Optimus, but the updates only made the emptiness inside of Alexis consume her. The separation was so difficult that when it got really bad, she couldn't stand to be near anyone. Personal time not allowed as much as she would have liked, Alexis pushed herself into everything she did, keeping herself as occupied as possible.

Wanting to speak to Bee before the others were due to arrive, she walked through the large compound. Following paths that curved around and through, she came to the massive operation's buildings. Entering the right-side entrance, she walked farther until she entered Bee's assigned compartments. Alexis felt relief when she found him alone. The scout was sitting at a terminal looking at a projected map.

"Bumblebee?"

"Alexis, you are early." He pressed a button. The hovering map flickered out of existence as he turned.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to apologize."

He motioned for her to join him. Alexis climbed up the side stairs until she was standing on his work table. Sitting down she continued, "I hope I didn't scare you. That is, I hope I didn't embarrass you either. I was quite the idiot. It seems alcohol and my little buggies don't mix."

"Yes. I was starting to think as much. I am just glad that you are fine," Bumblebee said sincerely.

"I am. Thank you."

"Optimus has informed you of your new position?" He leaned forward a little, his gears winding quietly.

"Position? I am not sure I understand." She shook her head, biting down on her lip.

"You and I, that is I am going to be training you in tactics and strategy. You shall be working closely with me. Is this, that is, is this acceptable to you? If not I can... that is I am sure..." He rubbed his helm, words falling away into the air.

Alexis smiled at his suddenly flustered state, finding it all rather endearing. "Bumble, you're my best friend. Of course, I want to work with you. I just- can you explain to me exactly what we will be doing? Optimus said you would fill me in."

Bee bent his head forward. "As you know, the Decepticons not only destroy everything they come across, but have taken humans as slaves. Our job will be to locate them, do recon, and help free them. I know you don't have much battle experience, but I will be with you each step of the way and will..."

"Oh, I didn't know that was expected of me. I..." She jerked forward her chest heaving as she stared up at the Autobot.

"If this is beyond what you are willing..."

Alexis deliberated for a moment. She found her answer easily enough even though once more what she needed to do was bypassing her comfort zone. "No. I've come across some of the lucky escaped survivors from the camps. I've listened to what they have had to endure. If freeing them means more direct means of participation on my part than I am willing. Besides, I couldn't avoid this forever. I just, that is... don't expect me to turn into a soldier. I don't think it's in me."

After the rest of Bee's team came she listened to what was going to be her first mission. She cringed inwardly with uncertainty but listened carefully.

* * *

"Pastor?"

The church she entered had become a second home to her, the building a recent addition to their rather unique community that rested in the middle of the base. The church's craftsmanship was breathtaking and constructed entirely of metal. The pellucid roof high above had been built to catch and collect light as it pulled it into the church, basking everyone within with a natural light that seemed to shine directly from heaven.

Going to service when time permitted, Alexis soaked in the word the best that she could. Her parents always saved her a seat for when she was on base. Going to church was one of the few things that made her feel more focused. Alexis tried to follow a routine as she actually found herself teaching Sunday school to the toddlers, an hour and a half that she enjoyed immensely. She could become a kid again as she pushed aside the world.

"Alexis, I wasn't expecting to see you today."

Finding Pastor Michael walking toward her, she smiled. He was someone who besides Optimus and her father, she felt a paternal tug with. He was much older than her father though. Speckled gray hair adorned his head, his eyes that were younger than people of her own age, had an openness to them that seemed to shine straight to his very soul.

"Just have a CD your wife asked for. I meant to drop it off earlier, but with the wedding and everything..." She waved the disc. "Is Cindy around?"

The couple lived inside the church, their quarters taking up the second floor. Her eyes wandered to the staircase.

"Afraid not. Young Rachael went into labor, and Cindy is assisting with the birth."

"Of course. I sometimes forget your wife is a nurse."

He smiled. "With Ratchet around her services aren't required as much, but she is still teaching the medic some of the finer points of human medical practices." He turned his head when one of the associate pastors entered the back of the room. Motioning with his hand to a pile of data pads on a nearby table, his gaze turned back to Alexis. "Are you coming to church tomorrow night?" he inquired.

"Sorry. No." She shook her head, not allowing herself to feel guilty. "Lately I am lucky enough if I can listen to the bible on my MP3 player."

"It is important for us to gather together, and I know your parents would love to see you here," the pastor said, giving her a look of encouragement.

"I know, but Jesus is going to have to forgive me. Don't think he will send me to hell for not attending church as much as perhaps I should. And I do listen to all your services when I can."

"Will we see you this Sunday?" he asked, a thick eyebrow rising. "The children have asked for you."

Alexis cringed. Since when was her life so busy? "I'm sorry I can't. I'm not going to be here," she informed him. "But mom already agreed to take my place and the kids love her."

The pastor took a step toward her, patting Alexis' shoulder gently. Warm eyes stared at her with empathy, his voice lowering. "It worries me how busy you have been lately. Is there something you would like to talk about? When I spoke to Optimus last he said you were joining Bumblebee's team."

She had come straight to the church after the meeting ended and everything was still fresh in her mind. Alexis came to a sudden errant realization of her being the only girl in the group. She remembered that Mikaela actually loved the distinction when she was involved with Bee and Sam's team. However, her friend had been more than enthusiastic to give it up when Ratchet requested her to study under him.

"No thank you. I just, that is..." Her voice faded away as her words stopped abruptly.

"Holding it in doesn't make it go away," Pastor Michael said gently. "Have you heard from this... Starscream?

A pang ignited in her belly. A frown started to build on her face that she quickly halted. Just hearing his name said out loud and the need to see the Seeker became intolerable. Stark sadness engulfed Alexis. She knew then that when she returned home later that day, she would be replaying some of Starscream's old messages. Knowing herself well, she knew it would keep her up late.

"No," Alexis paused before continuing, "I will make an effort to attend more. I promise." With that she handed him the disc. Excusing herself, she walked out of the church.


	3. Reflection

Months had passed of working with Alexis, months that Bee could have lived in and been quite content. Of course, they had worked together over the years, but never quite like they were now. He found a sense of fulfillment out of it all as he clung to every moment, finding himself so happy at the strangest moments that sometimes he almost considered doing a self-diagnosis. Bumblebee refrained though.

The recovery mission should have been easy. Go in, disable the automated sentinels and rescue the humans. However, somewhere along the line, about the time they got the humans out of their confined cells and outside, armed guards were waiting for them. An internal alarm had been tripped that they did not account for. Bumblebee would have been happy to take them on, but their small forces were inadequate, so a retreat had been the best they could manage.

The rescued individuals put on transport vehicles, the rest of his Autobot's provided cover. Bee didn't know Alexis had been hit, but he discerned something was wrong when she crashed in the back seat instead of sitting up front. Bumblebee was given no real-time to say anything to Alexis since he was busy issuing commands. It was when they were a good distance away that he felt her slump back. Strange sticky liquid spread across his interior, a hand pressing firmly against the edge of the seat before it fell limp.

Entering coordinates into his automated system, informing Sideswipe of his status, he activated his holo-form, pushing himself into the back. The sight of Alexis made everything seem to stop.

She didn't even scream out when she was hit, and now there she was, eyes open but misted over, pulse erratic and a fine metallic dart sticking out of her upper leg. Doing a scan was when he found out it held poison, a rather virulent thing that was spreading with ease. Already, her skin flushed white. Thin blue lines spread underneath Alexis' flesh as it coursed through her body.

A knife folding out of his hand, Bumblebee pushed her gently backwards, bringing her leg in his lap as he gripped the bottom seam of her black pants. Cutting through the thick fabric, he ripped it back. The blood was no longer escaping; her skin puckered around the metallic barb. Bee almost wished he didn't know what needed to be done.

"Alexis, you are going to hate this."

Green eyes looked upon him. Blinking several times, she spoke, "Just tell me."

"I'm going to have to push this all the way through."

Alexis' orbs widened, and she groaned. Shaking her head, she swallowed down hard. "There has to be another way!"

"No. The poison is spreading too fast. I have to do this now, or you may..." he stopped himself from completing the sentence. Instead, he expelled a couple of curses, his hand finding hers as he squeezed it gently.

"I'm going to get Ratchet on the line. Don't go anywhere OK?" he said to gain levity, his tone misplacing the mirth he had intended.

"Okay," Alexis said weakly, actually managing to smile.

* * *

The scream that followed was energon curling. The Camaro nearly crashed off the road from her reaction, quickly gaining control as his human form momentarily lost stability.

Bumblebee knew it was painful, even before he started the main process. He had to burn the end of the rod, forcing the metallic barbs that opened into her flesh on its contact, to retract and fold back into the spike. Pushing it through Alexis bit down on his arm, managing to keep eye contact with him as he ordered.

"Whatever you do, make sure she remains conscious," Ratchet told him before he began it all. "If you fail her systems will shut down and there will be nothing that we can do for her."

"But the nanites. Surely, if I gave her a sedative she could just sleep."

"No. Certain fluids are not easily warded off in Alexis' system. You will need to _listen_ to me. We need to extract the poison from her body."

Bee listened to the instructions. Alexis watched him, clinging to his hand. They were so close. Bumblebee pressing hard against her side, he kept himself balanced above her. A perception grew that he was unwilling to acknowledge. Ratchet continued, uploading a file that contained the adjustments he was going to have to make to his holo-form. When he read over exactly what he needed to do he hesitated.

"Are you sure this is going to work? I mean..." Bee's voice faded.

"Are you actually arguing with me?" the medic questioned. "Perform the procedure or watch Alexandra die."

That was enough to get him on with it. Leaning forward, informing Alexis what he was going to have to do, he finished up the modifications to his electronic self. He paid close attention to the pressure he was going to need to use if he didn't want to damage her further. And then he was sucking on the wound. Blood pulled into his mouth along with the poison. Alexis writhed underneath him as Bee tried to keep her still with his other arm. Several long minutes passed until his systems told him he had taken enough of the deadly liquid out to ward off what could have been the worst. He cleaned and bandaged the wound, coating it with an analgesic. Formatting his human form, it blinked off momentarily as it purified itself. Done, the scout sat back down beside Alexis, who was now on the edge of the back seat.

"You will be okay," he whispered.

Her eyes were tightly shut, body still.

Panic unfolded in his belly, keen desperation pinching every nerve along his spinal cord. "Alexis!" He pushed back toward her. Leaning over Alexis, he avoided her injured leg.

Her unfocused eyes flickered open. "So tired, Bee. Let me sleep."

"No!" He took her hands. Squeezing them, he pushed further up her arms as he pressed against her shoulders. "If you sleep you'll die."

"Let me go... So tired..." Alexis said, her words even softer than before.

Bumblebee let go. Bringing his hands to her face, he brushed against the clammy flesh. Bee's fingers wandered over her eyes and nose, stopping on her mouth before they dropped down to her chin. Alexis gave him a strange look before her eyes closed firmer than before.

He refused to give up. Bumblebee wasn't willing to have come that far to lose her to something as trivial as a stray trindart. That was why he kissed Alexis. Bee was surprised how hot she now was but not how pliant. Never would he forget what it had been like all those years ago when he had her all alone on the Decepticon base. A strange hunger came and unexpectedly his lips were wandering lower. His mouth found and pressed against the life that pulsed in her neck, tongue flicking outwards as he tasted the saltiness of her flesh. Feeling immediately light-headed he moved his lips once more upon her mouth. He waited for her heart to quicken, waited for Alexis to show the signs of renewal as she stirred. The renewal came in the form of the unexpected when suddenly she was returning the kiss. Alexis' hand wrapped firmly around his arm and pulled him down. Bee felt the eruptions of madness as the desire he pushed back became so powerful that it was past the ability to ignore or subdue.

Until Alexis opened her eyes. Until she looked up. Until she pushed him off as shock, hurt and embarrassment swept through her eyes. Bumblebee wanted to regret what he did. He wanted to feel guilty, but he didn't. Especially not when it was more than enough to keep her conscious until they met up with Ratchet.

* * *

"You did well, Bumblebee. You saved her life."

He should have felt elated at Ratchet's words that were actually filled with praise. However, he was more pleased that they made it safely back to the base.

"She wants to see you before I issue the sedative," the medic continued. "Don't worry. She'll be up and at it in a matter of days, knowing her healing factors."

Before he could acknowledge what the medic said, Ratchet pushed into one of the medical bay's recovery rooms. Further still until he stood before Alexis' bed. Ratchet chuckled as he departed.

He was alone with her, Alexis the only occupant. Sheets pulled up over her small frame; tiny modules blinked on her forehead, a couple more on her left arm. Alexis' eyes opened as her mouth curved upwards, her hand rising as she motioned for him to come closer to the bed. Bending down on his knee plates, he felt nervous. Unable to look her in the eyes, he waited for her to speak.

"It's OK, Bee. Everything's OK," she whispered.

A weight came off his frame; his circuits pulsed with energy.

"You saved me," Alexis said with an awe filled with gratitude. Finding the tip of one of his digits, she rested her hand there.

Bumblebee bowed his head as he allowed himself to look at her. Locking onto Alexis, he found her luminous eyes. Somehow he knew then that they would never be talking about what had happened in his back seat, the kiss not even hours in the past and already as good as gone.

* * *

Bee visited Alexis off and on between duties. The days went by slowly when each time he saw her, she was sound asleep. Her system was obviously hard at work as it repaired her body. The scout finally informed she was awake; it was more than inconvenient when he wasn't even on the base.

Returning to the command center he settled along a corridor that attached to the human's wing. Deactivating his systems he stood on his flesh filled legs. He headed towards Rad's workstation. The young man requested Bee's presence. The scout's thoughts turned to a report he needed to make as he mentally started to prepare it.

Halfway there a noise caught his attention. Stopping, Bumblebee turned back around, walking slowly to where it originated. He didn't know why any humans would be inside the research center at that time of the night. Activating his scanners they pushed easily through the room's thick walls, the sounds becoming more erratic as his vision found its clear point and stabilized.

He was all ready to barge in for what he heard sounded like a fight of sorts. But his legs stiffened and stuck to the floor. His human stomach convulsing, his fingers balled up as they landed roughly against his thighs.

It was Rad, and Alexis was with him.

He should have stopped his sensors the moment he knew what they were doing. He should have backed up, gotten out of the fraggin' building and pretended like it wasn't what he was seeing. But the sounds, the movement, the labored breathing...

Bumblebee's systems suddenly crashed as his human form turned off without warning. Bee was thrust back into himself as he brought his frame upright, his gears straining hard against the quick pressure. Fist formed he used it, pounding it into a nearby wall. A couple of optics and eyes turned toward him as he transformed. Speeding out of the building he crashed into the darkness of the night.

* * *

To think he had been looking forward to their next mission together. To think he had been so happy when they worked with one another. Bee was proud of Alexis, and the efforts she was making. But now returning from their recent endeavor, data acquired that would probably save many a life; Bumblebee reminded himself once more that it was _her_ life, and she could do with it as she pleased. He just wanted her to be happy and... Bitterness caught up with him again, a sort of lag that seemed to be following his thoughts lately. One that jumped in and out as it took his careful reasoning and jolted him with jealousy and deep-rooted confusion. A part of him declined to believe what had happened between the two humans despite that he saw it for himself.

"What is going on, Bee? You have barely said three words to me in days," Alexis asked from within him; her voiced hushed and working toward cautious.

Internally, he was damning her healing abilities. Knowing he wanted Alexis feeling well, but not so the human could do what she did. Still, he felt sick and shocked and more than just hurt, but he felt a sense of betrayal as well. A feeling that Bee knew he wasn't even entitled to. He wanted to yell at her. He wanted to continue to reason the answer out of logic and dictate to his fluttering spark that it wasn't supposed to matter. Even so, there was no denying that he and Alexis were close. Closer perhaps than the best friend title that she bestowed upon him.

"I could have given you that, Alexis," he began, startled at the sound of his own vocals. "If all you sought was... release. I could have been the one. I... I wouldn't even have asked for anything in return... especially... to _be_ with you... to give you something you needed... I... I just I thought you..." His vocals crashed all together when her bewildered eyes jumped upwards.

Not once did he think Alexis found the male attractive. Sure she was friendly, but she was friendly to everyone. And even though Rad made no secret of his attraction toward her, she showed no interest over the years. Not when the boy became a competent soldier and had the privilege of going on several missions with her and Optimus. Not when he became the leader of his own unit as he gained a following by the females. Not even when Alexis' parents tried pushing the male toward her at every opportunity when they found out he frequented the base's church. And not once did she show any of the usual physical reactions. Why would she cling so vigilantly to her virtue only to throw it away on someone she cared nothing about? Bumblebee just didn't understand. And he thought he understood her.

He started to burn when Alexis placed her hand on his dashboard. A feeling lifted to the surface that he acted on without thinking. Braking, they came to an abrupt halt.

"I need you to get out of me."

"Bee, what is goi..."

"Please." His voice dropped as he begged desperately. "Get out."

Confusion and hurt welled in her eyes from the harshness of his tone. Alexis made a move to touch his wheel, but pulled back when he sunk on his shocks as he recoiled. Nodding her head slowly, biting down on her mouth she got out. Bumblebee left her standing in the middle of the road. He watched her get smaller and smaller until he could no longer see her at all.

* * *

Optimus didn't question him when Bumblebee requested that Rad and his team be reassigned elsewhere, but he saw the inquiry in his optics just the same. Bee just didn't expect the male to _still_ be on the base when he returned, nor to be joking and talking as he packed up his things in a nearby jeep.

He also didn't expect the men to all start talking as they playfully bantered with one another. Of course, Bee most certainly didn't expect for his legs to start moving. He ran toward the astounded group, his human form coming on-line as his other stilled. A primal yell gushing out from his lips, his fist made contact with Rad's face. He wanted to do so much more. But the sound of the human's nose breaking easily under what was a rather light tap had the scout stepping back in horror while the group blocked Rad.

His arm lifting, Bee saw blood on his hand. He physically harmed a human that he vowed to protect. Bumblebee didn't try to struggle when security ordered him to terminate his holo-form. The scout led to the brig; shame spread through his mainframe.


	4. Perpend

Optimus never expected a data pad to come on his desk that informed him that Bumblebee, one of his most capable and unfaltering soldiers was in the brig. He dropped everything as soon as he saw the report even as a part of him was indulging in a good bit of denial.

However, now standing before the security field, seeing the deflated scout on the opposite side, there was no denying anything anymore. Bee started to squirm under his gaze, and the Autobot leader allowed him to. Prime became disturbed by the reasoning of his scout's confinement, and the point they suddenly reached.

"Never would I have thought things would come to this." Optimus began, shaking his head, gears wound tightly and released. "We are guests of the humans. We are here to _help_ them, to aid them in their plight against the Decepticons. Things are delicate enough as it is without the word spreading of one of our kind hurting a human. You _disappoint_ me soldier. More than that confound me. What in Primus' name would have you acting so irrationally?"

Bumblebee shifted his optics rising and then falling back down. His hands curled and balled up before he released them. He came forward on the bench his chassis heaved down. "I have no excuses."

"Excuses I am not here to find," Prime said, his vocals heavy. "A _reason_ though, you _will_ give me that. Of all of those that serve under me never would I have believed that this is where we would end up."

"Sir, I..." the scout began, vocals shutting down abruptly. "I _can't_ tell you."

Venting loudly through his intakes Optimus shifted around, dismissing the guard behind him with the flick of his wrist. Lowering the security field, secondary bars were swallowed up by the ground as he walked into the cell.

"I think we have a miscommunication here," Prime stated calmly. "That was not a request. And if I have to make it an order I will have no other option but to file an _official_ account."

For a moment, Optimus thought he pushed the scout too hard. But then Bee drew up pulling his frame against the wall as he leaned back. Bright optics found and met his.

"I saw something, sir... something..."

"What we speak about here, shall _remain_ here." Prime lowered his vocals. He felt saddened by the sorrow that was so pointedly displayed in the scout's inflections. Whatever brought him to where they were now had caused him much pain, and he was sympathetic.

Bee continued the telling. His tone took on the form of defeat as he kept his gaze on the cell floor. By the time the story was through the scout refused to look at him.

"How long have you been in love with Alexis Rivers?" Prime questioned. Taking a step back, he leaned against the thick cell wall.

"Two years, nine months, four days and..."

"I see. I have known for some time." Bumblebee's head shot up as his eye ridge's rose, but he said nothing. "I just never believed it would affect you such as it has. And after Starscream chose Alexis, and she accepted him as her potential mate, I thought you moved on."

"I have never felt so deeply for someone, so connected. I value her more than anything. And I can't stop... _feeling_ for her, sir. I have _tried_. Even when being near her can cause such pain. Even when I know she will never love me, or want me like I want her. I just can't... and when I saw the two of them together... Alexis _with_ someone who she doesn't even care about... I lost it, sir." Bumblebee optics surged as guilt washed through his frame, shoulder panels falling down abruptly as he started to tremble. "I am sorry that I hurt Rad. I never wanted to hurt anyone." His tone became more firm as his optics held Optimus'. "But I take full responsibility for my actions, and I deserve whatever disciplinary action you decide to take."

"Fortunately, Rad will be fine. He procured a broken nose, but it could have been worse. As for the ramifications of an Autobot physically harming a human, one of his own team members at that, remains to be seen, for the damage has been done. Despite your reasoning, I am truly disappointed in you, Bumblebee. But perhaps I am partly to blame. You have always been strong with emotion in regards to certain things, and I should have known your attachment to Alexis was not formed lightly." Straightening up, arms crossing over his chassis, Optimus sighed wearily. "For now, you will stop using your holo-form. I have decided to take you off active duty for the time being. For how long I have yet to decide. Unfortunately, we require your skills, and being at war does not allow for such long-term punishment. However, know that if you ever act in such a frivolous manner again I will think nothing of sending you off world until the war is over. Do I make myself clear, soldier?"

Bumblebee shot off the bench, coming to attention as he snapped his head forward. "Yes, sir."

* * *

"Is this _really_ necessary?" Bee groused. He looked around him as if to get away, but there was nowhere to go.

"Yes. You missed your last two scheduled checkups, and seeing how you aren't exactly doing anything now..." Ratchet leaned forward a little more his scanners washing over the scout. He was unable to keep the levity out of his words, but the medic's tone became serious with what he said next, "Also, I thought you would like someone to converse with." Bumblebee huffed at that. "Rad told me what transpired with Alexis, and what has brought you to be in here." The medic watched as optics surged. The scout pulled away as his systems churned softly. Ratchet turned his sensors off, sitting beside Bee. "So, still in love with the young woman I see."

Pulling his hands upwards Bumblebee pushed himself up and away from Ratchet, diverting his gaze. "I _don't_ want to talk about it."

"Good. I will do the talking," Ratchet said, his vocals lowering a couple of decibels so as not to be overheard. "Something has disturbed me since Rad spoke to me. The particular night that he said he was with the young woman in question... It is... _impossible_."

That got the scout's attention. Bumblebee turned back around as his optics sought Ratchet's. Confusion was clearly marked within them, a desperation for him to continue what he was saying, swimming within their depths as well.

The medic forged ahead, "As you know; Alexis was in a state of recovery. In fact, she didn't leave the medical laboratory that entire evening. After her parents visited her not long after that Starscream reported in, and then demanded his signal be relayed to the med lab where he spoke to Alexis for several hours, even _during_ the encounter with Rad. And if records of that communication don't do it for you or my own visual confirmation of seeing her, I have her neural signals and over seventeen different other functions that were recorded from various sensory nodes attached to her body. She didn't even leave until the following morning."

"That doesn't make sense," Bumblebee whispered now appearing shocked and confused.

"No. But as a wise human once said: If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, _must_ be the truth. And the truth is that whoever Rad was with no matter what you saw, it was _not_ Alexis."

* * *

Bumblebee was not prepared for the silence. He didn't realize until several hours after Ratchet left his cell that whether he intended it or not he had somehow always managed to have activity around. Sound, even voices, or when he had been alone in his quarters, any sort of auditory or task filled distraction.

Nevertheless, there was no getting away from it now. No getting away from the questions and thoughts that were cycling through him. It wasn't enough that he disappointed Optimus, wasn't enough that he knew what Ratchet spoke was the truth. She couldn't have done something like that. He should have trusted in Alexis.

Even still he was having difficulties purging it out of his system. Bumblebee kept seeing Rad and Alexis. He was plagued with a throbbing pang that seemed intent on lodging itself deep within his chassis, sending tendrils of hostility, jealousy and ill placed need. His imagination took off as his emotions surged.

The ambient silence only brought out more suppressed feelings and inquiries. He was suddenly replaying every encounter with the young woman, every contact. The replay crashing and faltering when his logic kicked in reminding him why he was there. And if that wasn't bad enough, for some reason he kept seeing how Alexis looked at Starscream the day before the Seeker departed all those years ago. Bee continued to recall the two of them together. Alexis brought delicately up to the Decepticon as she kissed him without hesitation, small lips pressing against his metallic skin as her pulse soared. The Air Commander whisked her off moments later as Bumblebee was left all alone and behind. Wondering where he went wrong or simply what was wrong with _him_.

Alexis was never been aware that Bumblebee had tracked them for as long as he could. Despair lodging in his systems as his top speeds failed him. Loss following when the scout realized once more, but with greater conviction that Alexis made her choice. Envy had more than been there when perhaps for the first time he realized that it wasn't just holo-Starscream she wanted to be with, wasn't the human version she wanted or attached her love to. It was Air Commander Starscream, Decepticon, Cybertronian.

Getting off the bench only to fall back down, he pulled himself back in the shadows. For so long he had pushed it all down, and believed he had come to some sort of workable terms as he defined rules for their relationship. He knew he would always love her, even when their connection had been severed his emotional attachment remained.

_Best friend._

When did the label she gave him become something he internally huffed at even as it made him feel soft and warm? When did his feelings become two sides of the coin bunched together as everything that logic was supposed to be broke apart?

It was because there were moments, little infinitesimal instances when his hope would push through the wall of forced denial. There were unintentional touches, gazes of affection, smiles and laughter that he produced from her. And conversations or better yet silences shared that could be more intimate than when they talked.

What if Starscream didn't return?

The thought rocketed through, and this time, he allowed it to. The stray thought actually hurt, for Alexis would be hurt. More than most would have imagined, and he would do anything to prevent that.

Starscream _would _return.

The Seeker had been gone for years. Time that Bumblebee could have used to try to sway Alexis away from the Decepticon. Even so, the years went by quickly. And just the thought of doing something devious no matter what the outcome didn't feel right.

Perhaps that made Bee a coward, perhaps when he got down to the spark of the matter, it was the possibility of Alexis wanting and loving him that caused fear. He was scared because one day too soon Alexis would be gone. And he knew what he felt for her now would not compare to how she would _leave_ him feeling. Especially if they bonded, and she was his mate. And not if they had been together for such an amount of time, for there was no _not_ feeling more for her everyday as it was. No, she was worth the risk. Which left him to wonder why he _hadn't_ tried. What did that make him?

_It was not Alexis._

He heard Ratchet's voice in his head as if he just spoke the words. No more clarification was found.

A pretender perhaps?

No, a Decepticon would not go to such an extent just to seduce and couple with a human. And while Rad was sufficiently capable, when Bee thought about it, the male wasn't worth going through _that_ much trouble for. And as far as the scout knew the boy had not made a clinging impression on any Decepticons.

It was puzzling, unless he brought Alexis into the mix. Unless he thought back to who used a holo-form for devious purposes in the past. And that made more sense than anything else he could come up with. Even if their revamped security systems that were the most advanced ever shouldn't have let such a thing through. To create such a sophisticated, complicated thing would have taken plenty of time. However, Bumblebee knew that while something was supposed to be impossible didn't mean it was entirely improbable.

Getting off the bench, Bee leaned against the bars. He was somewhat eased that the outer layer electrical current had been kept off. At least, he wasn't considered _total_ prisoner material.

"Any word?" Bumblebee inquired.

Turning around from his console the guard on duty shook his head. "Nope. Not yet."

Yes, another reason his thoughts were so prominent on Alexis. For she had yet to return. Only three hours and forty-seven minutes had passed since he ejected her from his vehicular mode. However, even at the slowest pace Bee had seen her exhibit, her returning would have never taken that long.

He was a slaggard throwing her out like that. For believing such things of Alexis when he was always full of such admiration for her constant holding onto her ideals and beliefs. And the morals she clung to, the faith that penetrated all that she was and did. Even so, he knew that it was hard getting past what he saw of the two, and he allowed it to blind him to everything else.

"She should have returned by now." His digits clenched around the bars tightly. Bumblebee hoped before he spoke that he still had some authority no matter what position he got himself into. "I want you to contact security, have them send out a patrol, and inform me the minute you hear anything."

"I don't think that I..."

He drew himself upwards, hands dropping off the bars. A surge of blue rushed before him as his systems revved up with power. He took on the air of command given to him, strength flowing into his vocals. "Do as I say, soldier. Even in the brig I am _still_ your commanding officer, and that _was_ a direct order."

"Yes, sir!" The mech jumped out of the seat, his hand rising to crash before his head in a frantic salute. Sitting back down at his terminal the guard vigorously did as he was told.


	5. Moving

Alexis felt stunned. Bumblebee's actions were cryptic and hurtful. What did she do that caused such a shift in his personality? Never before did he direct such blame toward her, a pain in his voice present which made her heart stutter.

"Need a lift, Alexis?"

Silver took over her view when she looked to the right. Alexis shook her head. She was miles away from the base yet suddenly could not care less. She was more than willing to walk all the way back.

"No thanks, Sideswipe. I will be fine."

"As you say. See you later then."

"Yeah. Later."

With a quick turn of the wheels, and a little uplifted dust from the dirt road, the Autobot drove away. A form of disturbance worked its way under her skin, a feeling that she wasn't alone crawling into her consciousness. Before Alexis, a figure appeared. Light shimmered and took form.

"Alexis Rivers, I find you again. I will speak to you."

Cringing, hands curling inwards as her nails dug deep, she sighed heavily. "You don't speak. You terrorize," she said, her voice gaining a scratchy quality that irked.

"Made an impression have I?"

She turned on the road. Her hands were already making their way to her hips as she stood with defiance. A feeling that was always there when Barricade was around. She had the hunter pushed to the back of her mind and had not seen him in well over a year. The last experience had been more of a chase and an exchange of words that reminded her that he was still out there. Not that he was actually _there _now. Alexis could see right through his holo-form. Something that had a rather crooked smile appear on her face as she guffawed. Starscream had been able to do better and that was while using human tech.

"No, unless the bad taste in my mouth I get every time I see you is something you are proud of." She stepped closer, waving her hand through his form, unimpressed. He looked exactly the same from all those years ago when he had attacked the base and snared her to that tree. Everything about him just as she remembered. The clothes were the same, his hair, even the bombastic manner in which he stood and walked. She wondered why he bothered to keep the scar that now marred his facial features and that puzzle unsettled her somehow.

"I'll be leaving now," Alexis told him.

"I think not," Barricade proclaimed.

His arrogance had Alexis shaking her head, body turning as she walked away. A couple of vehicles drove by, more Autobots as well. They went directly through Barricade as if they didn't see the hunter at all. After witnessing that Alexis was now more than ready to accept a ride back to the base. She started to flag one of the vehicles down.

Barricade spoke again, "Heed these words, human, or others will suffer the consequences. Proceed twenty paces to the left. It is to your benefit to do as I command. Do it. Now," he directed.

Barricade flashed away. Alexis remained still for a couple of moments. She knew he wasn't actually nearby for she didn't feel him. And knew she was more than safe under the Autobot's security field. Even an all-out attack would be met with heavy force and do resistance. Still, she considered walking away just the same. Nonetheless, she found she was unable to. Something in his voice grabbed hold of her attention and refused to let go.

Pushing beyond a couple of bushes, stomach tightening with anxiety and apprehension, she activated her weapon as she brought it up, becoming cautious to the extreme. She scanned the area with her mini terminal on her wrist and found that the area was clear. Alexis came to a halt. Under her shoes, a small metallic device glittered softly. Leaning forward she had been all ready to get a closer look when Barricade's form came on-line, shooting out from the middle of the apparatus as he walked off the module and stepped forward.

"I _knew_ you would come." He eyed the drawn weapon and chuckled. "You might as well put that toy away. The best you could manage is damaging this portable generator, and then nothing will change what shall transpire."

Alexis lowered her hand and shook her head. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"_Exactly_."

A moving image flashed before him, hovering between them. Alexis saw herself only something didn't feel right. Jumping ahead here and there the movie-like clips continued. Until her eyes widened in shock, chest tightening as her world actually swayed. Motion continued as she saw what was her doppelgänger approaching Rad in a small room. Everything pushed ahead further, sounds and actions pouring out, and then two bodies were tangled on the bottom of the floor with clothes scattered around them.

She found her mouth after that. Alexis' belly gyrated as she fought the sensations of getting rid of her breakfast right there. "You're sick... creating videos of me. And... what is wrong with you? Are you _that_ depraved?"

Barricade's eyebrows shot up as his lips curled. The images stopped and crashed when he pulled his hand backwards. Casually, he pushed his fingers through his dark hair, the Decepticon's eyes upon her the entire time.

"Who said they were just videos?" he taunted.

Her stomach sunk further when Barricade stood before her, his hand coming forward as if to touch her. Pulling it away his gaze hovered on her mouth and then slid down her neck until it landed on her necklace. Alexis found her hand moving to clasp the cross. She forced his gaze back upwards.

"It is real," Barricade boasted.

"It?" she managed. Her mouth became dry and her tongue thickened while her voice went hoarse.

"LX. The finest soldier I have ever created. She is obedient and serves only me. My word is her command. The ultimate, most advance holo-form ever created. Her interaction protocols alone are a work of art. You must admit she appeared genuinely _enthused_ when interacting with that bile male."

"You are sick!" Alexis shouted, hands balling up tightly; fingernails dug into the flesh of her palms. If he was real, she could at least be satisfied by belting him one. The need for violence was so acute that it suffocated her mind.

He laughed hard. Quieting, he sneered. His eyes roamed slowly down her, causing Alexis to bring her hands over her body as she took several steps back.

"I will complete my objective," Barricade boasted, assaulting her eyes with his. "And I will capture you as well. However, in the meantime I am due... a hobby."

"And that would make this conversation over with," she whispered, voice rising in volume.

Again, he came toward her. "Not just yet. You see LX is _more_ than just a toy to me; she is a weapon. Her programming such that by the time I am through with her many shall be dead or dying or at the least, tormented beyond repair." Barricade smiled as he relished that thought. Near ecstasy became painted on him, his next words lined with stark pleasure. "And I shall make sure that the most pivotal moments of her delicious destruction shall be done in _your_ image."

"And I suppose that for some reason, I should feel responsible for that. I won't." It was a lie even while she spoke the words. She would feel guilt, and they both knew that.

"But you will be responsible. Yet as magnanimous as I am, I am willing to give you a choice. You are so sacrificial, and weak as you always put others before you. And that is the reason why I shall capture you in the end."

"Never. "Alexis shook her head so hard that her hair fell out of the ponytail. Strands falling alongside her face, she pushed them away roughly. "You need to stop this. However you think I have wro..."

"Stop it? _Yes, _I am _willing_, Alexandra," Barricade purred her name with avidity. Once more, he stood firm. Even able to see right through him did nothing to curtail the unease that he was stirring. His tone of voice subsided as it pulsed through her skin. "And you do want to stop me, don't you? If you don't I will not be accountable for the deaths that follow, nor be responsible when Megatron receives word of where Optimus and his most valued base lies."

"And I am sure that Megatron will be pleased that you kept it from him this long. And why do you even tell me all this? Why do you even..."

"Silence!" he belted out, eyes raging. "Telling you is what makes it more interesting. _Watching_, _knowing_ you can do _nothing_. You are _mine_. _My_ slave, _my_ human. My _whatever_ I want to do with you and shall. Submit yourself to me, or be held accountable for all that follows."

Disgust caught up with her, eyes narrowing as anger increased. She walked right through his ghostly figure, energy crackling along her skin. Before the logical part of her brain could catch up with Alexis, her booted foot rose and fell. She crashed down on the device, the generator cracking under the blow as it powered off. Alexis found herself alone.

* * *

Alexis couldn't stop shaking for well over an hour. She kept seeing what Barricade forced her to watch. Sure, she had seen movies before that depicted sex, one could never seem to get away from it, but never like _that_. Her the star of the unfamiliar, vile set of actions that hovered before her as the Decepticon stood by scrutinizing her reactions. The innocence of knowing what could really happen between a man and woman, ripped away from her as the overly explicit scenes played. What she saw was perverse and twisted, a violation of self that went beyond anything she could have ever been prepared for.

It was when her body stopped trembling that she gained a semblance of control. Alexis realized one thing: She wanted Barricade dead and wanted to kill him herself. It had been bad enough when she finally realized what the hunter ultimately wanted from her. Alexis denied it for as long as she could, but the last memorable encounter with him from over a year ago, put all doubts to rest.

Perhaps she was too much of an innocent. Her parents had raised her in such a manner that when she grew up certain ideals more than stuck. Alexis never went to wild parties, drank or did drugs. She never considered having any form of intimate relationship, which more than got rid of a few potential boyfriends as the rumor spread. Darien had been the first that seemed to respect her even more because of it, their relationship so sweet and romantic that Diana used to joke that she finally got the Victorian romance she longed for. Was it so wrong to be respected and loved even without being together physically? After all, innocence once lost could never be regained, and hers was something she valued. With determination she clung to it, even as others around her found her principles archaic. The world ignorantly mocking Alexis only made her that much more sure of herself.

Even meeting and falling in love with Starscream, she tried hard to cling to her ideals. She was still set, and knowing and seeing a glimpse of what he expected them to be doing in the future had been more of a planted promise of what the future held for them, then some illicit demand that she needed to yield to.

Of course, Darien was so different from what she and Starscream shared. Alexis eventually left her boyfriend after Diana had been killed and had not spoken to him since. She knew she owed him more than that, especially when her friends started to hint at the fact that he had been about to ask her to marry him. And what did she do? She abandoned him. Alexis had been in too much pain to be near anyone familiar, or anyone who reminded her of her best friend. Perhaps she should have thought more of him than a simple regret of actions. She did care for him and at one point believed he was to be the one.

But never could she have known who was waiting for her. Or that the demure romance she shared with Darien, would pale so much in comparison to the thundering eruption she had with Starscream. Their relationship taking what she thought was love as it shattered all she knew and believed about it. Words couldn't describe the way he made her feel, more than just alive but living. Alexis felt everything anew as if the world was suddenly a remarkable, beautiful place, and she had to experience everything all over. She valued every breath as she was thankful just to be alive. She felt blessed and stronger than before, humble and looking forward to what her future held.

Her thoughts rocketed back toward the Decepticon hunter. Alexis wondered what Barricade would have thought if he knew she prayed for him and for the strength to forgive him. Prayed for him to just... _stop_. Every time she believed she got over him; he would pull something else, and down she would go just as she was now. Hatred brewed as she wondered what it must feel like to just murder someone with due intent. To terminate someone's very existence and never be bothered ever again.

How Barricade sickened and disturbed her. How he got under her skin, pumping it with filth and grime as he left her feeling as if she had been brutally abused. How could she ever forgive him now? How could she forget what he did, or forget about what he promised to do.

Yes, perhaps she was far too innocent, but that didn't give him the right to use it against her. Not when he made her feel as if it was something to be ashamed of and gotten rid of. Something that was perhaps holding her back from seeing the grim reality she was living in. No, she _would_ hold to her innocence for as long as possible. Let it shield her from the world if it must. Sometimes certain truths were better left unknown.

* * *

Unaware of how long she sat there; Alexis felt the passage of time when her muscles started to cramp from sitting on the stiff ground for so long. Getting up and stretching a little, her eyes spotted the portable holo-generator. Making a decision, she picked it up, cupping the metallic square in the palm of her hand, fingers folded tightly around the object. Making her way back out to the road, Sideswipe almost immediately stopped Alexis. He offered her a ride. This time she accepted.

"Sideswipe to base, I have found Alexis."

"Found?" she inquired. Her mind was only halfway there even as she heard that clear enough.

"Bumblebee was worried about you. He sent out a patrol." Sideswipe then informed her of what happened during the short time after Bee had dropped her off, and that he was now in the brig and why. Being let out of the Autobot after they arrived back on base, Alexis felt his gaze on her as she walked away. He probably wondered what was going on in her head, for she didn't have much of a response to his bombshell.

Alexis felt terrible while her squeamishness increased. She pushed that response away as Alexis used what little willpower she had left. Alexis had things she needed to take care of. Things she probably shouldn't have put off as long as she did. However, she could get lost in herself when things went wrong.

* * *

If Starscream had been there, and he got word of what Barricade did to her, she knew what his response would have been. This time it pleased her. The thought of Barricade crushed under Starscream somehow seemed a lot more satisfying than she ever permitted. That thought was followed by shame, a remorse of sorts for her violent thoughts.

Grabbing to a purpose, she forced herself to a task that needed to be done. She decided to speak to Ratchet. He was someone she could feel comfortable enough to talk things over with. Fortunately, she found him alone in his medical laboratory. The medic was surprised to see her there. He lifted her up, settling her on his desk as he listened to her intently, only interrupting occasionally with a question.

How much better Alexis felt after she shared it all. Handing over the portable generator, Ratchet told her he would speak to Optimus. Alexis could tell something was on his mind though, something he didn't seem quite ready to share. For once she was willing to accept that.

* * *

Bumblebee not allowed any visitors until morning, she found she wasn't up to seeing him anyway. In actually, she didn't even want to. Embarrassment and thick confounded found their way to Alexis when she realized exactly what Bumblebee offered to her before he pushed her out of him. What he must have seen and gone through, and all because of Barricade her tormentor, how Alexis hated him.

Going to her quarters, Alexis took off her uniform and got into soft pajamas. Falling on top of the bed, Alexis grabbed a small metal box. The container had held at one point the two items Starscream gave to her when he departed.

She touched the box softy, hand drifting to her wrist, fingers gliding across the soft metal of the quarter-sized acumentor, a mini terminal which clipped to her plator imploder. The thing acted as a replacement communication device, a remote, mini, yet fully functioning computer. The acumentor did so many things that she was still learning all that it was capable of. More and more Alexis was so in love with the thing just from its size alone. The device was even more valuable to her because she knew Starscream made it. The Seeker was not past bragging about that when the topic happened to come up.

Oh, to talk to Starscream. Just thinking about that made her belly flutter with over active butterflies. The worry in his voice from their last conversation was almost worth the pain of being poisoned. He had talked to her for hours, perfect in his timing as the communication came in right when her parents left. Of course, they knew of the relationship she had with the Seeker. However, after all the years they didn't seem to understand what _kind_ of relationship. Now that he was gone, she didn't press that subject as much as maybe she should have.

Snuggling against a pillow, she allowed the silver box to rest on her stomach. Alexis took her imploder off and snapped off the acumentor before she placed both on her night stand. A glimmer caught her attention. Her fingers lowered inside the box and picked up a small object. What she held was thin and cut with precision, translucent when held up close with wires stretching through the short length of it. She asked Starscream about the object on many occasions. His answer was always that she would know what the thing was when _he_ needed her to.

A beeping sound started after she closed the box lid shut. Thinking for one joyous moment that perhaps it was Starscream, which would mean he was closer and in range, she twisted around. Grabbing the mini-terminal off the bed stand, she swiped her finger across the small screen to activate it. Informed of who it was, she allowed a projection to form. Light shot outwards before it stabilized. She wasn't disappointed by much.

"Hey, Mika!" Gliding her finger across the acumentor, the holographic screen enlarged itself.

Mikaela's smiling form looked back at her. "Hey, girl! Catch you at a bad time?"

"No, not really." Alexis cringed inwardly at the lie, yet she knew she would tell her friend of things soon enough.

"So, how's the honeymoon going?"

Mikaela smiled and then laughed with a happiness that was contagious. The two caught up over the next hour and a half, Alexis feeling blessed beyond belief to have such a friend as she was given a chance to get away from it all.


	6. Continuance

Ratchet knew exactly what the module was when Alexis handed it to him. Yes, it was most certainly a mini holo-projector, but there was more to the device than that. Without him even analyzing it further, he knew without a doubt that it was of his own design.

The object he held was more than just a generator, but a stealth transmitter that was specially designed to break through any perimeter. And after adapting to its surroundings, create an original holo-form of one of the indigenous beings that would be used to blend in for purposes of monitoring and getting Intel.

Decepticons were known for stealing technology and modifying it for their own nefarious purposes. He was disturbed that the module had been adapted to break through Autobot defenses. Beyond that, Ratchet also created the thing to be self-reliant. The longer it was behind enemy lines the more intelligent it would become. Its matrix would collect data and interaction protocols, all the while becoming absorbed in the environment.

And with what Alexis told him, Barricade installed a personality program. A thing that was partially based on the young woman, if Rad and others were fooled. It was of course in thanks to himself that it hadn't been caught. For it was to blend, and at the first sign of being caught it was to self-terminate.

Not that he believed that was the case here. The thing was now an entity, a pseudo human with chameleon capabilities that it was without a doubt putting into play. To see his work taken to the next level and expertly, Ratchet was almost enthralled. And actually astonished that he didn't think of such a thing. Yet he never needed the mini generator that complex, for its purpose was ultimately a simple one.

Studying it after he repaired the thing, he looked for coding that could be mapped and in essence, tracked. Or a glitch in the programming that would lead him to the electronic interloper.

However, even if Ratchet could, he knew it was too late. One of the other functions was after a certain amount of time it would become dependent enough that the module itself was internally absorbed within the projected form. A free roaming program that had the life span of months, longer if it was ingenious enough to adapt the surrounded energies to its own requirements.

"How long do you believe this program has been on the base?"

Ratchet's shoulder panels hunched up when he was startled out of his internal contemplations. Beside him stood Optimus. Silence was prominent between the two. The medic had been entirely focused that he almost forgot someone else was there with him in his spacious laboratory. Alert optics fell back upon him as one of Optimus' digits tapped near the device.

"Months," Ratchet sighed heavily. "The way it can interact with other humans proves that. I would also have to say that it has found its own energy source. That or it leaves the base to recharge."

"And there is no way to compensate the base's shields to keep the thing out or to capture it?"

"Not with the way I designed it. It will just modulate its frequencies until it synchs once more with the energy grid."

"And tracking it?" Optimus inquired, his optics lifting to the now projected image of the generator that hovered in the air, it twisted and turned, zoomed in and out. A scanning protocol already engaged that did a superficial examination.

"Impossible. It is designed to emulate whatever host form it takes on. Even if you were looking straight at it with scanners on maximum, all your sensors would pick up is the functions of a human or even Cybertronian."

Optimus appeared displeased. Ratchet could just imagine all his holo-scouts, as he called them, recalled now that a Decepticon got hold of one. Beyond that there was the obvious fact that schematics and charts were stolen. Meaning that they had a spy on the base or someone who turned, a dangerous condition all on its own.

"Before you ask, I already checked." He straightened up on his bench, fingers finding the edge of his worktable. He clenched it a couple of times with his digits and then released, trying to relieve some of the tension that stuck between his circuits. "All of my generators are accounted for, and the files on its construction have not been copied, tampered with, or even looked at by anyone but myself or you. Whoever took the data not only knew what they were doing, but how to cover their tracks as well."

"And _Barricade_, Megatron's scout, did this?" Optimus looked in the general direction of the human's dwellings. Somehow, the medic knew he was thinking about Alexis. He obviously had many a question, but it would have to wait. Hours had passed since he talked to the young woman, and she was probably sleeping by now.

"You are right. The Barricade we know could not have done this on his own. The complexity of this device, the materials needed, the density even of the Derivion ore required to create its stealth capabilities, all things that would need precision and more than just simple know how."

"How do we stop it?"

Ratchet frowned, feeling that his days were about to stretch before him, recharge a thing of the past. "That I am working on. It will be difficult. Perhaps in hindsight I designed it a little too well."

A moment of levity broke through. Optimus smiled as his optics brightened. "We all have our faults old friend. Over achievement should be more of ours. Perhaps then, much more would be accomplished."

"Should I prepare the medical ward for an oncoming attack?"

"As if I would believe you weren't prepared already. But yes, we shall remain at alert. Although I can't help but feel that Barricade has turned this into something more personal than a battle tactic. And is far from through with whatever twisted strategy he has going on in his processor. However, it was only a matter of time before we were discovered. After all, we are on the verge of finding where Megatron is hidden away." Optimus' mouthpiece twisted into a gentle frown, his vocals sounding tired and heavy. "I will leave you to it. I have much to deliberate upon. You will let me know the nano-click you come up with anything?"

Ratchet nodded his head forward. Turning back around, he picked up the tiny generator in his hand, barely hearing Prime exit. Determination grew. He would take the entire thing apart, scan every bit. Learning all its secrets was just a matter of time.

* * *

They were almost back home. Not that Mikaela didn't enjoy what had been her honeymoon, but the installation of the base in northern Arkansas, had been rather boring and tedious. Although she did enjoy the nights, her and Sam saving more than enough energy for one another, even after helping and organizing things as the new compound was set up.

Until a Sergeant Philip came back and took charge. His trip to Russia cut short when his troops came under Decepticon attack. The ability to enter the country needed more planing and updated Intel.

Mikaela assisted with the treatment of the wounded men and during that heard stories that made her blood curl. Even with the troops not engaging the enemy directly, the tales were still ones of horror of what they saw and how they barely made it back alive.

Their trip over, Mikaela was almost glad to leave Arkansas. Fortunately, they didn't have to do any driving. Ironhide did that for them as they road along with him. The convoy made a couple stops here and there as people were dropped off or relocated. Until it was just them and a couple other Autobots. Ironhide kept to himself as he gave the couple some time alone. Sam and Mika talked and cuddled for hours. They knew the weapon specialist probably didn't care if they got even more romantic than that, but both were tired. Mika's husband drifting off to sleep also waylaid anything else they could have served as a more pleasant distraction.

"1.07 hours before we reach our destination."

Mikaela smiled a little at Ironhide's soft tone that he could have gotten away with using more often. But doing so would probably have dented his mech ego.

"Don't you wish to recharge as well?" he inquired.

She shook her head. "Nah, not tired. Kinda looking forward to getting back."

"Are you feeling all right?"

Eyes drifting upwards she looked at the rear-view mirror and then lowered her gaze to his dashboard. "Yes. I felt a little dizzy earlier, but it passed as soon as I ate something."

"You should see Ratchet when you get back," the weapon specialist recommended.

She felt Sam stir a little, mumbling into her hair when she shifted to make herself more comfortable. Ironhide reformatted himself to make more room for the two and even the leather seat felt more padded. She leaned back against Sam, comforted immediately.

"It's nothing," she finally told him.

"Just the same," Ironhide said, not relenting.

"Okay, I will mother hen." Mika smiled at his concern. Bending forward, she patted him on the dashboard, the seat-belt strained against her frame.

"Mother hen? I do not understand the comparison of myself to a feathered creature, especially one that has had prodigy." There was a stern affront in his words. An edge to his vocals that one could rouse easily if one knew how.

"Yeah, but you were clucking..." Mikaela waved her hand through the air. "...you know concernedly."

"I do not... _cluck_."

His tone rose in volume before falling back to what was a whisper for him. Mika chuckled. So stern Ironhide could be and yet so reliable and capable. Occasionally, she found herself trying to crack through his seriousness exterior but knew also when to relent.

"OK, OK. You are _not_ a mother hen. And you were not clucking. Does that make you feel better?... Hide?"

A minute or more passed before he replied, "We have been ordered by Optimus to take a detour. Decepticons are up ahead. Our forces are ill-equipped to take them straight on when we have human cargo bogging us down."

Mika sat up straight, tugging on her seat-belt hard. "Cargo? I am not cargo!"

"Perhaps you will remember that the next time you even think of calling me mother hen."

She brought her hand up to her forehead, mocking a salute. "Yes, sir!"

"That is more like it," he stated firmly, even as she detected an ever so small hint of amusement.

Mikaela rolled her eyes, the devious expression she wore grew into a grin. "And you can call me _Mistress_ Mikaela."

* * *

Mika wandered outside after leaving Sam fast asleep in their new quarters. She was still full of energy, although she had been up for some time.

She couldn't decide on what to do first. Taking Ironhide's advice, she decided to see Ratchet. Altering her course, waving to some Autobots and stopping a few times to exchange a couple of words with some of her friends, she proceeded to her destination. She actually had her own work room right next to Ratchet's. Her apprenticeship to the medic was a rare privilege that she felt grateful for every day. She had learned so much from him, and knew he had so much more to teach.

Entering Ratchet's own area, she walked slowly up the stairs that led to his work table, stopping a couple of feet away from the medic. Mikaela sat down when she saw how focused he was. She watched him as he analyzed a device, one that when she turned her head and looked fleetingly at the projected screen, appeared as some sort of generator. She had the vague thought that she had seen it before.

"Mikaela!" Warm optics caught her eyes, and she smiled easily. "So, you are back. And just in time. We have much work ahead of us. Pick up that optical gyroscope and..."

She stood back up with her mouth curving partially downwards.

"How insensitive of me. You have just returned and immediately I place demands upon you. Go ahead, take a little time off. No need to rush. Just make sure you are back in a couple of hours." Ratchet's optic ridges rose as he noticed her incredulous expression at that comment. His head lowered as he studied her. Something flashed through his facial expression that made her swallow hard.

"Actually I came for a physical," Mikaela let him know.

"I see." He stood up and leaned a little over. Shadows pushed across her as darkness crept forward. Backing up, hand coming forward as it twisted palm up, Ratchet waited for her to climb on.

And so the exam began. Mikaela placed on his warm medical table, the scanners activated. Equipment came to life, lights flashing around and underneath her. Taking the readings took no time at all. She observed the medic, realizing that instant that she hadn't thought of him, not even once on her honeymoon. She wanted to believe that her marriage to Sam had banished out all the warm fuzzy feelings she could get from the CMO. That was quickly smashed down when his digit came toward her, delicately touching her arm as he motioned that it was okay for her to sit back up.

His optics upon her were intense. Mika's heart rate pitched as her fingers clenched tightly in her palm. Legs brought up and underneath her body, she sat upon them and twisted to the side. "What is it?" she asked, her voice so strange that hearing the strained words actually hurt.

"I am not one to orbit around words, so I will just say it. You have a growth inside of you, and it is growing exponentially."

She bit down hard on her mouth, blinking several times she replayed in her mind what he just said. Cancer. Her grandmother died of cancer. Could she have it? Could she... then something dawned on her, a glimmer of revelation that took away the darkness in her brain. Understanding came as she realized what he actually said. Leave it to Ratchet to make it sound like something mortally dangerous.

"I am pregnant?"

"Yes, didn't I just state that?"

"No. Yes. I mean sorta. You really need to work on your presentation though." Her mouth fell open, reasoning going out of her ears and blocking the ability to hear as Ratchet continued to speak. She was going to have a baby. Mikaela couldn't understand how it happened with the precautionary steps she and Sam took. And she couldn't come to terms with what having a baby would mean for her future or how becoming a parent would change things, or what it would entail. And the timing couldn't have been worse with the world being such an unsafe place. Mikaela's mind went blank. Her hearing came back as she slowly, laboriously raised her head to look at Ratchet.

"Would you like to know if it is male or female?" he inquired.

"You can tell this soon?" she asked with astonishment.

"I can," Ratchet assured.

"I... I will have to discuss it with Sam. I mean... I... this wasn't exactly expected. I mean I just felt a little dizzy, my vision going in and out... feeling more full of energy. How exactly does that end up with me being pregnant?"

"Yes," he agreed, "your stated symptoms are not quite normal for an impregnated human female. I will run further tests if you permit."

More Tests. More revelations. As if finding out she was pregnant just a couple of short months after she got married wasn't enough of a bomb.

"Later."

"I recommend we do them as soon as you are able."

She nodded her head. Ratchet helped her down. Mika was thankful that she didn't have to think to make her legs work as she shuffled in a daze toward the exit.

* * *

Mikaela knew she could have gone to Sam first, but she was still in a state of shock. She even considered going to his parents, but Mika most certainly wasn't in the mood for what she knew would be overzealous reactions. After all, the one they had when Sam announced they were getting married was still something she was trying to forget. The two finding out she was carrying their future grandchild; she just shuttered to think about their reactions.

She passed by one of the overhead clocks. Seeing what time it was made her quicken her pace. Mikaela headed through the atrium that housed an indoor garden. It was one of her favorite places, a reminder of life and vitality. Such a variety of vegetation and flowers that it was breathtaking both in its vastness and the plethora of vibrant hues. But now Mikaela barely glanced at it all as she sped through. She walked outdoors and continued on the track that interwove through most of the base. She followed the path, winding around to the southeastern part of the compound.

If only Alexis was still up to their old habits. Every other morning they would get up and jog together. A couple of miles of exercise that they would chat together or just zone out as they both listened to their own music. A breakfast would always follow of fruit smoothy and homemade pancakes.

She almost yelled out when Alexis' figure appeared in the distance, almost shouted for her to hurry up, but so far the girl didn't even notice her presence there. Mikaela had to wait patiently. A minute passed and then another. Her foot lifted up and stomped down as she tapped with a relentless vigor.

Finally, Alexis noticed Mikaela. However, Alexis slowed down when she should have sped up. Mika motioned with her hands and face for Alexis to pick up the pace. Her actions were somehow understood as her friend took off in a dash, stopping a couple of feet away. Taking off her ear phones, she smiled wide. Alexis hugged Mikaela, words gushing out about how happy she was to see her, and how glad she was that she made it back home safe. Everything she said might as well have been gibberish.

"I'm pregnant," Mikaela interrupted. Suddenly, all she could hear was the birds chirping, a strange sensation coming over her as motion seemed to dip backwards. Closing her eyes, she breathed out deep. Opening them, she found herself situated on a stone bench. Alexis held to her arm.

"You OK?" her friend asked.

Mika didn't expect such a reaction, but it happened just the same. Sobs bursting through, she started to cry.


	7. Impulse

_"Did you hear what I said, Alexis?"_

Alexis shook her head and lifted her gaze. Optimus didn't have a minute voice at all, and yet she managed to block it out in entirety.

"I'm sorry. I have a lot of my mind," she apologized, frowning a little. She tried to recall what she had even been focused on, but her mind suddenly went blank.

"Understandable." She was gently appraised by blue optics. "You look exhausted, Alexandra."

Scooting back she sat down. View sweeping across the room, a bustle of activity was all around. Autobots went in all directions through the main command center, humans shuffling in and out as well. Data pads were handed off, computers and various equipment used, inarticulate conversations going on between both groups. Everything looked so organized. A smoothness to its operations that said much for Optimus, and how he ran things.

"No, I am fine. I just came as soon as I woke. I... that is I have things I would like to discuss with you," she let him know.

"You would permit me?" he asked, holding out his hand.

She smiled softly. Climbing aboard he took them beyond the busyness of the command center. Cutting through an entryway, they made their way into a separate room in the back. It included the largest table she ever saw. The thing appeared to be made of metal, and by the looks of the sheen, it appeared new.

A door slid shut behind them. Lights emerged from overhead as the room illuminated fully.

"Our new conference room. Or as some call it: War Room." He put her gently down on the table. He flicked his head forward, numerous screens powered on that filled an entire wall in front of them. The Autobot symbol appeared on each individual screen before it broke up and became a large one stretching across all the monitors.

Alexis almost didn't get out of the way quickly enough when something behind her popped up from the table and folded out. Before she got a clear picture of what the thing was she recognized it. Terminal interfaces folded around, falling back down into the table.

Prime spoke, "My apologizes. I wasn't sure if everything was fully functional yet. I see, however, that we are closer than before."

She was impressed, even in awe. Optimus flicked his hand downwards. Small areas around the table opened up once more, human-sized desks appearing that were impressively equipped as well.

"Please sit," Prime requested.

Optimus himself sat down. Alexis went to the chair offered, finding it swiveled she moved it all the way back around so she could better observe the Autobot leader.

"I saw Ratchet." Her voice came out strained, and despite that she tried to hide it, the emotion came out raw. "He still hasn't found out anything." Only four days had gone by since she gave the generator to the medic. One day since Mikaela came back unexpectedly and pregnant, her friend understandably more frustrated than she.

"What am I going to do?" Mika asked of her, eyes still full of tears.

"Start by telling Sam."

"I can't even tell myself." She frowned, head falling forward. Her words were forced to push through the hair covering her face. "I've always wanted children, Alexis. And now that I am pregnant... I am scared..." Her voice broke up. Alexis leaned toward Mikaela, rubbing her back softly.

One of her best friends is having a baby. She has an electronic duplicate wandering around of herself, and a strange incoherent fear was trying to make its way into Alexis' consciousness.

"He will find a solution. He will not quit until he does. You can count on that," Optimus spoke, pulling her back to reality.

She bit down on her lip. "I know. It's just... the thought of a version of me out there doing who knows what..."

"We _will _catch it. It has been attempting to break through our security firewalls on the base's core processor. Every time it does we get another glimmer into its programming matrix. My best security teams are working on catching... this LX. Between Ratchet and myself, we have made this a priority."

"Suddenly, certain things make sense," she told him. "Conversations I supposedly had but don't remember. People seeing me places when I remember particularly I had been somewhere else. I didn't really think of it much, but now..."

"Yes, most confusing I am sure," Prime acknowledged.

"Barricade said... he did say if I gave myself up that this would all stop."

Optimus leaned forward, soft gears winding, optics dimming. "And you believe him?"

"No."

"Rightly so. Despite what he pledges, Barricade has an obvious task to perform. And he has already excelled at interpersonal relations sabotage. I have scouts searching for Barricade, so far nothing has been revealed. Regrettably, he did not have to be anywhere near this vicinity to transmit his signal."

"So I was told. Optimus. Sir?" She was biting on her lip again; a nervous tinge erupted in her fingers.

He smiled and leaned back in his chair. "Yes, Alexandra?"

"I, that is... about Bumblebee." She swallowed hard, her stomach tightening. "I obviously shouldn't work with him anymore. But... " Alexis lowered her head, trying to articulate what she wanted to say. "I wasn't that great of a soldier despite what Bee seemed to believe. And I tried to... to _believe_ in what I was doing. But..."

"I would be more than happy to have you back on my team."

Alexis frowned deeper than before. "No. I mean. Thank you, but..." She waved her hand past him. "You have so many people way more qualified than me."

"The greatest responsibilities usually come when we think we aren't prepared for them. However, that is not the problem is it?" Optimus said knowingly.

She shook her head. "I loved working with you. It was eye-opening. And I loved helping people, loved reaching out..." She felt the strong emotion coming on, and tried to hold it back. A couple of tears fell down her face that she wiped quickly away. "I feel lost, as if I am waiting for something that I know without a doubt I am meant to do, _called_ to do. I just don't know what it is."

"Does this have anything to do with Starscream?" His voice was gentle with inquiry, a compassion underlining his words that defied the large being.

"I miss him, immensely. And I feel that... I don't know. Like I am holding my breath, like everything will make sense when he is back."

"And you don't like that?"

She bit down on her mouth, her eyebrows scrunching upwards. "No. It makes me feel dependent. But I have never loved anyone as I do him. I feel as if my future and what I need to accomplish is..." The epiphany came. Alexis didn't know where she was heading until she got there. Her eyes snapped up and locked onto Optimus'. An awe swam through her for the second time, but this time one of self-revelation. "...tied up with him."

"Depending on another is _not_ a weakness. After all, you believe in a higher power than your own; this God of yours, this Jesus. Do you not put all your faith into them?" Optimus inquired.

"I do."

Prime smiled. "Then tell me child. What is so wrong with putting your belief for a better future in another besides your God? With having your life mixed in with someone else's?"

"I do that with my parents and my friends."

He smiled indulgently. "But Starscream is more than a friend Alexis. Tell me, since you have been here what have you done that has connected with you?" Optimus asked.

Alexis pondered that for a moment. "Working on electronics... working on you guys. That was fascinating. Learning more about Cybertronians and your culture, and about how you guys function. It was... enthralling."

"You have the gift of the hands."

"More like for electronic things, not quite the mechanics like Mikaela. But yes, I suppose I have always liked to work with my hands," she confirmed.

"Then..."

Alexis smiled, chuckling a little. She was ever so grateful. "Then I know what I can do... Thank you."

"It was my pleasure, Alexandra."

* * *

The world was starting to make sense again.

Working with Optimus, she saw the world as it is. The people who filled it, and what they became. It wasn't such a terrible picture. Everything wasn't like the movies where everyone turned against another. There was still compassion, caring, and the way one could look after a stranger, or survive despite the circumstances; humanity still attached.

Of course, she also came into contact with the other side. Prime did not shield her from that reality either. There was struggling, back stabbing, petty squabbles, murders and worse. It was inevitable she supposed. For there always had to be the darkness to illuminate the light.

She knew some humans joined the Decepticon campaign, but Alexis hadn't been aware that some were fighting for them as well. She couldn't help but wonder what type of person would throw away all that Earth stood for as they gave themselves over to the enemy. But of course, that answer could not have been a straightforward one. And she was sure if she let go of the preconceptions, there may have been a sympathetic outlook on the whole thing.

From Bumblebee, she learned of the struggle in the background. The terrifying world that was filled of slaves and camps, of forced labor and the excessive struggling, starvation not that uncommon as they were denied the most basic of rights and needs.

Yes, it had been worth fighting for that, even when seeing the survivors that made her heart thump violently, or viewing human frailty that had been suddenly displayed only steps away. Alexis had watched on more than one occasion, a person so far gone that the rescue had been the last stimuli their bodies could take before they just gave out.

Bee had been teaching her about detachment along with how not to get involved emotionally. Alexis knew she wasn't qualified when despite her best efforts, she just couldn't stop feeling.

And all it took was one person dying right before her, a young girl who couldn't have been more than thirteen. Her frame had been so thin, her clothes so torn, her eyes haunting Alexis still. She remembered the happiness in those eyes that had been so profound and all it took was a tiny sip of water. A quick swallow, a whispered thank you and then the girl was gone, dead inside a crammed, damp and dirty cell that already smelled of things worse than Alexis allowed herself to imagine.

She prayed for the girl. Her words so choked up she had to finish them in her head. Alexis knew despite her inability to speak that what she said had been heard.

Alexis never told Bee, never told anyone. She just came home that night, ripping off her clothes, and then jumping in the shower as she fell upon her knees, overwhelmed and suddenly heavy. But she continued to go with Bumblebee just the same. She forced herself to continue. While it actually did get better and helping save people did so much, Alexis couldn't stop seeing the girl. She knew there were so many others like her out there, and Alexis would do whatever she needed to do to help them in any way she could.

* * *

"Alexis, you came."

"I heard you will get out tomorrow."

Bee frowned at her detached tone. Peering down at her, he stepped closer to the front of his cell.

"Yes, but Optimus has put me on guard duty, which... I guess I deserve." He gripped firmly to the bars. "I'm sorry about everything that happened, and about what I thought you did."

"I would have come sooner, but a lot of things have happened lately."

"Did you hear what I said, Alexis?"

"I did, Bumblebee. I just... I mean _Rad_?"

Bee hung his head in shame. But she wasn't there to make him feel guilty. She was sure he had done enough of that on his own.

Her tone gentle with reassurance, Alexis spoke, "I forgive you, Bee. There was no way of really knowing that wasn't me."

Bumblebee's head tilted up, his optics flashed. "Actually there is. You have a unique energy signature. If I just, that is..."

"It's understandable. I _was_ angry at you, but that passed days ago. And it isn't your fault. It's _HIS_." Her voice turned thick with rancor, malevolence floating through the room.

Bumblebee looked at her with surprise from the force of the words. However, she couldn't help herself. Somehow, all her hatred and conflict were being pushed onto Barricade. The Decepticon was becoming the personification of everything that was going wrong in her life of late. Because of him, she couldn't even face Rad at all and he was a friend of sorts. She was just lucky that Julia stepped in offering to visit him.

"I heard what Barricade is up to," he said, his voice cautious. Alexis saw that Bee was analyzing her. "Is everything all right, Alexis? You seem tense."

"Well, considering I supposedly threw my virginity away on Rad, and that Barricade's instrumentation of destruction that can look exactly like me is out there somewhere doing who knows what... well, I think I am doing OK."

Bee stared at Alexis with astonishment.

"But really," she said more softly. Suddenly, she felt the distance between them that despite her forgiveness, she wasn't ready to fix. "I _am_ doing okay."

Alexis meant what she said. A form of relief was there from her conversation with Optimus, and from getting things more into perspective. Besides, if it wasn't Barricade it would have been another, and just because he was trying to make it personal did not mean that she had to allow him to. Yes, she would force herself to distance herself from that.

"I have to go." She smiled up at him, and noticed it wasn't as forced as it had been when she first entered the brig.

"Perhaps we can talk further when I get out?" His gaze drifted mindfully to the guard behind Alexis.

"I would like that."

Bumblebee showed signs of relief. Touching him delicately against the leg, she exited. Alexis felt Bee's heavy gaze on her the entire way out.

* * *

Alexis stared at the clock. For over three hours she laid in her bed, three body tossing, pillow shoving hours that were exceedingly felt.

What was wrong with her anyway? She was deadly tired, past exhausted, yet something would overtake Alexis when she closed her eyes. A tingling sensation would start behind her lids, continuing when she opened them. The feeling wasn't restlessness, wasn't even anxiety.

Just a feeling of... expectation.

Yes, expectation and behind that an impulse, both indecipherable as to why. Yet suddenly as if she was possessed Alexis was getting dressed. Then pulling her shoes on, the imploder snapped quickly on her wrist. She needed to go. Needed to...

She ran out of her quarters and down the side stairs, taking two at a time. The urgency increased as tremendous pressure grew in her gut. Instinct took over.

It was dark outside, the moon hidden behind some clouds. However, she knew where she was going. Alexis had traveled across the route so many times that her feet perceived the way without the need for deliberation.

Finding herself in the garage with keys already in hand, she stopped before a vehicle. Or in actuality, a motorcycle, her motorcycle. A Honda Gold Wing, it was black and sleek and unfortunately not used as much as she would have liked. Nervousness announced itself that caused her to fold her palm tightly against the keys.

She could do this.

Alexis sat on the motorcycle. Pulling gloves out of her jacket pocket, she put them on and then picked up her helmet. Quickly looking across the large garage, Alexis made sure she was alone. She started up the engine; an easy purr surrounded the enclosed space. Turning the bike around, she left the area behind as she avoided what little life was on the base at that hour. She made her way to the perimeter, knowing the second she passed through the field that security would be informed of her exit.

Time pressed upon Alexis. Her speed picking up as she passed through the barrier. A quick tingling from the base's scanners spread through her body. She didn't have much time. But time to do what? And why was she taking such a risk? More importantly why couldn't she stop herself?

Alexis should have felt fear, but she fought that emotion down; she was far too focused on what she was doing. The motorcycle's built-in sensors showed her as the only thing in the immediate area. She kept going while the indistinguishable feeling grew. The farther she got away from the base the more distinct it became.

And then she arrived.

Everything inside of her was building with a tremendous wave of euphoria. She braked without warning, the bike gliding across the ground as she turned abruptly. Alexis' stomach gave out as she thought she lost control. The bike finally came to a complete stop.

She let out a relieved breath. Getting off the motorcycle, Alexis was overtaken by sensations that she couldn't identify, surging pangs of emotions that whispered of familiarity. For a moment, Alexis thought she heard someone utter her name. She closed her eyes, head tilting back, her hands tightened and released with strange anticipation.

There was a tremor followed by another and another still. The ground shook with violence of impact. Alexis' eyes widened as six lights hovered in the distance. Four stayed back as two of them came forward. Trees parted, and the ground continued to tremble. A figure approached, pushing through the ominous shadows and creating some of its own.

She should have run. Shouldn't have even been there to begin with. However, Alexis stood her ground. The tidal wave of expectation broke up inside as once more she heard her name only from within.

"_Alexis_."

Everything became clear then, doors seemingly opening in her mind, the fear that hovered broke up and died. The figure finally took on a most distinct form, wings cutting sharply through the night.

"_Starscream."_


	8. Arrival

Starscream felt her the moment he entered Earth's atmosphere, a sense of intimacy that brought with it bafflement. His wingmate's perceived the strange reaction that drifted through his processor, leaking through their shared link. Both were acute enough not to communicate anything. By now, they were used to his intermittent emotions when the femme was involved and learned after several confrontations, which had inevitably turned heated, that such anomalies of feelings were better left unspoken of.

Being back on Earth was strange, stranger still not being alone. Skywarp flew on his left, Thundercracker on his right, both following him as he relayed coordinates.

The sensation grew, familiarity building as anticipation came into climax. Instinct took over, drawing him closer to the ultimately feminine presence. Landing, his wingmate's did the same.

"_Stay here_," Starscream ordered through the Trine's link. Finding no argument from either he pushed forth.

Ninety two seconds later he was standing in front of Alexis. Her mouth was partly open with hands in front of her and crushed tightly together.

"Starscream," she breathed. Hearing her voice over a relay directed through space was one thing. However, when he heard it right in front of him and just a stretch away, the sound awakened him beyond measure.

Alexis stood in front of a motorcycle, comprehension and then absolute joy spanning through her features. Whatever doubts he may have had dissipated and died a speedy death.

She was still _his_.

Starscream knew it in the way she flushed, her heart thumping boldly inside with an unspoken declaration. And the way she looked at him, green eyes open and holding nothing back. Such emotion in their depths that intolerable need grew.

Alexis took a step forward and then another, hand lifting and eyes drifting, contact made. His systems churned from the tactile connection, circuits flowing with a pleasurable rush, his spark aching with acute desperation and confusion.

To leave her behind and to stay away, no matter what the purpose what he did was inconceivable. Painful even more than it was when they were apart. Never before had he felt such regret and a need to have and to keep.

Starscream's sensors picking something up, he acted even before he performed a diagnosis. Grabbing hold of Alexis, he brought his digits upwards to protect her. He felt TC and Sky respond. They came up behind him with their weapons drawn.

"Autobots," he informed them. He caught that familiar disbelief Thundercracker was still working on. He knew it would take some time before they acclimated to working with the Autobots. Starscream tried to convince himself out of such an alliance, but for the moment, it would serve its purpose. He would see Megatron defeated, and if he had to associate himself with the enemy to accomplish that then so be it.

They were surrounded by many an Autobot. More than a few that he never saw before. They appeared better armed than the last time he encountered such a number. He felt his blaster come on-line and ready itself, a rush of energon giving him a burst of vigor, preparing him automatically.

"Lower your weapons."

The vocals were unmistakable and strikingly firm. Autobot soldiers parted and pulled back, not all lowering their weapons. Optimus Prime stepped forward.

"Starscream. Thundercracker. Skywarp. Your arrival is unexpected." There was no condemnation just a question of sorts that even unspoken was heard.

"Unexpected or not, we are here." He felt Alexis squirm in his palm. Her hand brushed against him, a distraction unlike any he had felt in many a cycle. "And I am not alone. I have gathered many to my cause." His head craned upwards towards the heavens. "My soldiers have had a long journey. We require a place to stay as agreed upon."

Prime showed nothing of emotion, only nodded his head.

Shifting his gaze to the right, the Seeker focused on Optimus' weapon specialist. A deadly glare was shot his way, Ironhide's cannons still barred upon them, or in actually _him_. Starscream was unimpressed.

"Of course," Prime allowed. "But first we have things to discuss. Perhaps as we do so Alexis could show Thundercracker and Skywarp to your headquarters."

"Impossible. Alexis remains with _me_." He pulled back his digits. The just mentioned female turned around to face Optimus before her head curved back to look up at Starscream. The way she looked up at him, he couldn't perceive ever letting go again.

"I'll take her," Skywarp piped up; his hand came forward with his palm up in expectation. "There is no need to put things off any longer than they need to be... right?" Warp stood in front of Starscream, head tilting to the side and then falling downwards; he analyzed the femme. His optics drifting back upwards, he found Starscream looking at him with a fierceness that made the mech take a step back. "Then again," he said quickly.

"It would be advantageous to us all if you allow Alexis to do this." Optimus looked down at the girl. "Are you up to this, Alexis?"

She was still focused on him. Starscream couldn't help but grin. Alexis' concentration upon him was almost as pronounced as his own upon her.

"Alexis?" Prime repeated.

Her cheeks filling with color. Alexis broke away from Starscream's gaze and nodded her head. "I would love to."

That was when Starscream was reminded that Alexis was very much her own person. And that no matter how strong even his most deepest aspirations were; she was not against making up her own mind.

He put his hand out, but not before brushing against her exposed cheek with one of his digits. Starscream gave her to Skywarp and then ventured off with Prime, dauntlessly walking through the armed Autobots.

* * *

Alexis watched Starscream leave. Her stomach tightened and fluttered painfully; a dizziness drifted beneath her skin that was livening.

"Shall I accompany you, Alexis?"

Realizing where she was and who was holding her, the world settled back into place. Alexis forced herself to look at who just spoke. Nearby, Ironhide stood resolutely with distrust clearly marked upon his continence. He waited for an answer to his question.

Her heart skipped a beat. The hand she was now on was of a different coloring, darker, dullness to the metal that she wasn't accustomed to. Breathing deep and holding her breath, she shifted. Head raising upwards to who held her now, she gulped. Alexis then tried to look at him again.

Bright optics stared at her, and Alexis swore she saw amusement. Somehow, it put her at ease. She certainly didn't feel _too _threatened, or didn't until she looked at his companion. Light was dissipating now that the others left, illumination falling in stray patches here and there. Alexis could now see the other clearly despite the darkness. Being farther away she could make him out even better. His build was similar and yet so very different from Starscream's. He was less bulky with a sleekness and even slimness to his frame. Her eyes went to his wings. They were impressive as Starscream's were, yet they were lined with a different color altogether... blue? Was he _blue_? That she couldn't quite make out, and when the Seeker shifted and his optics found Alexis' eyes, she felt immediately on edge. There was a tension to his body language that made her look away when all she wanted to do was stare.

"I... will be fine. Thank you, Ironhide," Alexis finally answered.

"They do anything that they shouldn't; you let me know. I have always wondered how hard it would be to de-wing a Seeker." The weapon specialist thumped away, and the remaining Autobots followed.

With them leaving she was left completely alone with the two Seekers.

"I..." The optics of the one holding Alexis landed upon her, making her stop momentarily. "This would probably be easier if I could get to my motorcycle," she said, trying to be polite. She wanted to be put down, but it wasn't going to happen. With a quick turn of their heads, the Seekers looked at one another. Somehow Alexis knew the two were talking to one another. Outwardly, they said nothing.

The other Seeker went toward her bike and picked it up effortlessly. Turning back around, a dull unenthusiastic look crossed over his features.

"_Tell_ us _where_ to go."

Alexis knew _that _tone of voice. Starscream directed it toward her when they first met. When she had been nothing more than something he wanted to use. Instinctively, she went on the defensive from his intolerable manner toward her, but it didn't last long.

When the other spoke it became easier for her to identify the two. They had such different voices. Skywarp's almost childish and full of vivacity, Thundercracker's commanding, unyielding, yet tightly reticent, as if every word he uttered was one more than he desired.

She gave them instructions. As they moved forward, she had the recurring image of falling off the large hand. Until a digit lifted, which gave her something to cling to.

Skywarp spoke up, "You are smaller than I thought. And I did not know that human craniums are made of condensed metal."

Alexis' hands went to her head. The motorcycle helmet was still firmly in place. She tried to explain to him what it was.

Skywarp wasn't listening though. He interrupted, "You have detachable armor? I thought humans bodies were quite defenseless."

"It's not armor. Just protective gear for when I have an accident or something." She blinked when they passed by a large tree, one of its limp branches barely cleared her head. The need for the helmet was nearly proven. Alexis suddenly felt glad that she didn't bother taking it off.

"You have mated with Starscream?" Skywarp asked Alexis with obvious delight.

Alexis' mouth fell open from that one. The directness and the expectation for an answer leaving her winded.

He continued readily, "I have a hard time believing something so small could engender pleasure, especially in Screamer."

Okay, now she felt offended. Instead of saying anything she opted for the silent treatment. It was none of his business. The audacity and presumption of his comments had her eyes narrowing bitterly at the view in front of her. Alexis' cheeks burned.

Unfortunately, he continued with the questions. None as blatant as before as she found herself answering some. After all, he was like a brother to Starscream, and she needed to get along with them.

Finally, they arrived. Skywarp stopped. Thundercracker coming to stand beside them, both Seekers looked up. Alexis found her head lifting as well, taking in what was to be the flier's private base. It was deceptive in appearances, carved and built inside of a mountain. She only was inside the structure once, but...

"This is _not_ it." The bitter incredulity in Thundercracker's words were directed at her. As if his aggravation for the circumstances was all _her_ doing.

She flinched at the pressure of his tone. Alexis spoke, "Yes. The base is built _inside_ the mountain."

"How do we get inside?"

She pointed up, which was a mistake. Before she could say what she meant, Alexis was lifted off the ground at speeds that made her eyes shut, her breath lost in a rush of air. Fortunately, the ledge was found. A hangar door hidden in the shadows of the deep crevice glimmered softly in the darkness.

"There _is_ an elevator," she finally managed when she caught her breath.

"Elevator? What do I need that for?" Skyward said haughtily, peering at Alexis as if she just said something incredibly obtuse. Thundercracker appeared behind him, thrusters stopping abruptly as he landed with a jarring thump.

As if it felt their presence, the large hangar doors slid open. Darkness pushed back as light blinked on and steadied into a bright illumination.

Neither of the Seekers asked anything further of her as they stepped inside the large compound. Alexis was set down on a table and immediately forgotten about. Somehow that intimated her, making her feel out of place and a little affronted. Burying the uncomfortable feeling, focusing on the Seekers before her, she confirmed their coloring. One was tannish gray like Starscream, yet had patches and lines of deep purple. And a blue on the other that seemed to change shades depending on how the light shined on his frame. Alexis found herself drifting as she became mesmerized by the two, strangely drawn to both. However, she was unsure of what to make of either.

"This is Thundercracker, coordinates are..." he went on for another minute. He gave more commands, ordering the troops to land.

An immediate response was sounded off above. Alexis quickly climbed off the table, walking between the Seekers, so she could go outside. The sky filled with an array of light. Stars fell from the heavens, descending at unfathomable speeds, creating trails of light that streaked through the black sky: Starscream's army.

Alexis stood there with veneration forming. She watched the display for as long as she was able. Until she found it a better idea to back up and away. She didn't move again for some time. The first arrivals appeared.


	9. Reunion

When Prime said he wanted to converse with him, Starscream had little idea what he was ultimately in store for. He was sure what followed was a punishment for him showing up unannounced. The Seeker listened here and there, finding the exchange rather peculiar. Being in Prime's private command post and sitting before his once formidable enemy only added to the discombobulation.

And he couldn't stop thinking about Alexis. The way she looked at him. The way she held her breath as she touched him, as if she couldn't believe he was real. And the sensations that drifted through his mainframe, a pleasurable rush of euphoria that only she could inspire.

Briefly, he was contacted by Thundercracker. The Seeker let Starscream know the first arrivals were on their way. He knew the two would have everything well in hand. Despite the rather mundane task, he actually wanted to be there. Alexis was there, and the thought of being away from her after such a time weighed heavily upon him.

Optimus showed Starscream maps and a brief summation of expected troop deployment. The Seeker felt bored and restless; neither feeling was he was fond of containing.

"Enough." Starscream rose, hands planting firmly on Prime's impressive workstation, a furnishing that only seemed to magnify the Autobot leader's presence. "I am sure you can send me a data-link. I have many things to attend to."

Prime tilted his head, optics surging as the Seeker found himself on the other end of an analyzing glance.

"There is one other matter we should discuss before you return to Alexandra, please s_it_."

For a moment, a quick nano-click, he had been ready to ignore what was obviously an order. Nevertheless, that thought was vanquished with what Prime said next. This time the Autobot held his attention. What was reveled had his digits clench fiercely in his palm. A burning starting in his weapon's systems as they begged to come on-line.

"I should have finished Barricade when I had the chance," Starscream said, his tone heavy with hostility and ill intent. "I will find him and _end _him. He will never get the chance to harm her again."

"My best scouts have been unable to detect him," Prime told him. "I believe the Decepticons have created a new masking subroutine that hides their signatures from even our most thorough scanners."

"No matter, he will _not _escape _me_."

"Before you go off on a journey of retribution, I would advise you to consider your state of affairs here. Barricade will not harm Alexis. She is protected."

"And this LX?"

"Untraceable at the moment. By the time we detect its presence, LX's task is complete, and it has abandoned the area. I will include what info we have in the data-link." Prime leaned forward. "I will not detain you any further. I do, however, expect a list of your soldiers at your earliest convenience."

"I uploaded the data as soon as I broke through Earth's atmosphere. It will be under your recent communications," Starscream informed him. His words rushed out with mild exasperation.

Prime waved his hand in front of him and a holographic display appeared. Tapping on the right corner another screen opened up and then another. Opening the provided content, the Autobot browsed through the list.

"I appreciate your efficiency. All of these on this list are Decepticons?" Optimus asked.

"No. However, I only brought the _best_ back with me. I do not settle for mediocrity for those that have the privilege of serving under me."

The Autobot waved his hand forward once more. The screen blinked out. "We have a general war meeting in three days. I expect you to be there."

"Is that _all_?"

Prime actually smiled at him, understanding written in his optics. "Yes, the rest that we haven't already discussed can be gone over at a later date. As a side note, the Decepticons are not the only ones that have upgraded their devices and weapons. If your signature wasn't recognized you _wouldn't _have landed in one piece."

Starscream smiled thinly. "You _wouldn't _destroy me. Not with what you are trying to accomplish."

"What _we _are trying to accomplish," Prime said with strength under his tone. "I am sure I do not need to voice that this fledgling alliance of ours is at a fragile stage. I allowed you into my fold once before, and you betrayed us. It will _not_ happen again."

"I thought you said we were through." The Seeker huffed, his cockpit rising stiffly.

Prime nodded his head. "We are now."

* * *

Given directions to his new headquarters, Starscream made his way through the Autobot base. He took his surroundings in with two analytical optics.

He found himself vaguely impressed. Much had been built in his short time away. It was bigger than the last one he had been on, but plainly more secure. He spotted more than a few hidden sentinels that were not as concealed as they were meant to be, as he was _supposed_ to see them, another not so subtle warning on Prime's part.

Starscream felt himself followed all the way to his destination, finding himself more and more amused by the action. Head tilting up, scanners relaying data, they zoomed up and forward as he made out the entrance.

Two nano-clicks later he was standing on a ledge. A door slid open as he approached. That would be one of the first things he would change, the security was in obvious need of updated programming.

Walking through, he saw his soldiers had arrived. He couldn't say they were loyal as of yet. Some he wasn't even sure of their motivations, but he would learn soon enough. He was determined to know them better than himself when he refined the group.

They came to attention when they saw him, which created a procession of sound that fanned through the enclosure as he stood next to his wingmates. Starscream knew she was nearby. His wings rose with a sharp thrill, steps taken forward.

"You know why we are here. You know our ultimate goal," he began, his voice loud and full of unequivocal command. "I expect more than just your best; I expect your all. I know some of you probably have ideas of your own. Perhaps are even Megatron's spies. But know this: you _will_ be found out. And your incompetence at choosing the wrong side will be your undoing. To those that believe in why we are here, know that Megatron's downfall will bring in a new era for all Decepticons. And it will be us fliers who take the slaggard down!"

Cheers commenced through the area, dying sharply when Starscream raised his hand. "It has been a long journey. You have your assigned quarters. You are dismissed."

The soldiers relaxed as soft conversations went on until the room was cleared out. Three Seekers remained.

"I am going to do a scan of the immediate area," TC stated, looking over at Starscream for confirmation even as he made a move for the exit.

Skywarp frowned, looking bored but ready to do something. "I'll go with you."

"Before you go, I want the base's security updated. You know the current pass codes," Starscream said. His words were directed at Thundercracker. Skywarp was the one to appear irked at being waylaid.

"I do," TC replied.

"Good. Then I leave you to it."

Walking away and turning in a small circle, Starscream searched for her. He felt Alexis clearly, yet she was not in the room.

"She left over an hour ago," Skywarp piped up from behind him. "Guess she couldn't bother waiting for you."

He decided on ignoring that comment. Walking outside, Starscream began to scan below as he approached the edge. He couldn't get over the impression that she was near. Turning around and taking a couple of steps forward, he suddenly found her. Despite the dark night, he saw her clearly; she was sitting against a far-right wall. To think he passed her before. Soon enough such errors would never occur again, his full possession of her was imminent. He felt _that_ as well.

"Alexis," he said easily. Her name floated outwards and down with an air of contained excitement in the utterance.

"I waited for you," Alexis spoke softly. "You were gone so long."

"You can thank Prime for that. I believe he purposely detained me as long as he could."

"And the three years that you were gone before that?"

"Technically it was not quite three years. It was two years, nine months, twenty-nine days..."

"You were gone a lot longer than I thought you would be, Starscream." She breathed out his name as if to speak it was a fascination all its own. Her head finally lifted to look up at him. "What took you?"

He had a logical answer for that, but in his processor the explanation sounded cold and superficial. Starscream felt nothing at all like that when it concerned Alexis. If he could only describe how she had been on his processor. How just the thought of the girl had stirred him and kept him focused on his goal of returning.

"I missed you," she said, eyes finding his optics. He didn't need any encouragement after that. He picked Alexis up before her words finished. He held her in his palm and then brought her upwards. Alexis' energy output trickled outwards, an erotic caress that whispered promises of their ultimate future together.

"How much?" he asked.

"Do you want me to tell you, or show you?" There was something rather seductive about her response. A new sort of tone that took him unaware and enticed him.

"I am more of an action sort of mech," he rasped warmly. "But first I will have you alone."

"We _are_ alone," she said. Starscream was lost in her emerald gaze. Her weight delicately placed in his palm soothed the agonizing distance that had been between them.

"Ride with me."

It was a command, but she nodded her head as if it was a request. Alexis within him, Starscream took off.

* * *

Starscream liked having Alexis inside of him far more than was reasonable. He even liked the silence that grew between them while she sat there. However, he had to land eventually. Circling an area and finding a clear zone, Starscream did just that. Alexis got down. Starscream came to stand behind her.

She looked around them and took in the abandoned highway. Walking toward the edge of it, she peered over the bridge they were on. Starscream leaned down; his digit extended as he made contact with her back. She tensed and then immediately relaxed against his touch.

"My intentions for you have remained the same," he told her, his vocals were alive with pronounced energy. His digit wandered to her shoulder and ghosted down her arm. "In truth they have intensified. The fact that I have not claimed you the nano-click I arrived back on this planet, should be a testament of my regard for you."

Contact broke off as she turned around. Coming toward his lowered hand, Alexis leaned against it. He shivered despite the humid warmth of the summer night. Never before did Starscream feel as he did when he was with Alexis. Once more, he was reminded that he would do anything for the human. And he felt relieved that he didn't lose her. Years weren't anything for him, but for a human, he knew it could be enough time for many a thing to alter. However, she didn't and he knew that the human below him was to be his future mate, the unfaltering femme that waited for his return.

"Alexis?"

He felt something strange. Minute liquid drops landed on his palm. Bringing her up, his digits folded around her. Alexis wiped off her face. Starscream sat down as he placed her on his leg.

"I am so glad you are back."

"As am I."

He was touching her again. Starscream couldn't seem to stop. He found her hair, noticing it was longer than when he had left, now past her shoulders. He expected her to respond as she did last time, but instead she yawned and then blinked a couple of times as if the weight of her eyelids was more than she could handle. He scanned Alexis.

"When was the last time you recharged?"

"I am _not_ tired," she told him firmly, stifling yet another yawn.

"Do not lie to me. I will take you back."

"To my quarters," she added, looking around she flinched a little, "this place creeps me out."

* * *

"They are nice don't you think?"

No, he didn't think that at all. Even with him able to get inside of her quarters, Starscream still didn't like them. Although Alexis' sleeping arrangements were going to be changing soon enough anyway. When she sat down firmly on the coach below him and closed her eyes, he saw that discussion was going to have to wait for another time.

"Why did you bring me here, Alexis?"

The reason behind an invitation to a femme's compartments was obviously not universal. At least not with the one he was with. He needed clarification.

"I don't know." She opened one eye and then the other. "Ever since I moved in I have always... " Alexis drifted off as she smiled wide, a rather childish grin appearing that seemed to have some sort of secret triumph behind it. "...wondered if you would fit."

"Do you wish for me to remain?" he asked.

"Oh yes!" She closed her eyes and this time they seemed intent on staying that way. "...I mean no," she murmured, her head rolled softly against the coach cushion. "I don't think you would fit in my bed." Alexis was obviously unaware of what she was saying at that point, but he couldn't help but chuckle.

Folding his wings behind his back, he leaned forward. Picking her up for the last time that night, he sat down on an empty space behind him, leaning against the front wall.

She fell asleep readily, holding onto one of his digits as she curled her body inside his palm.

He would stay.


	10. Tangible

The world that Alexis woke to was a horrible, distorted place. For as real as it seemed with her eyes closed, opening them only dispelled the extremely warm place she believed herself to be. Alexis could have sworn that she felt a hand wrapped snugly around her body that she curled easily into, heard the sound of Starscream's voice as he whispered to her.

Sitting up straight, finding herself on the coach, and very much alone affected Alexis to the extreme. The dream seemed _so_ real. However, that was how her dreams could get. And this time it was a rather good one. She could remember the details so clearly.

A chime sounded off, a sound that she always considered whimsical and pleasing for a door bell, but now it caused her to flinch.

"Go away," Alexis yelled, knowing it could have been anyone did little for the tone of her voice. She wanted to be left alone and by God, she earned it.

Again, the chime rang. Alexis sprung up, grabbed one of the couch pillows and threw it the door. A satisfying thump sounded off before it fell helplessly on the wood floor.

"Leave me alone," she said, her tone was even more severe than previous despite the loss of volume. Grabbing the other pillow, she clasped it to her firmly. Turning around, she closed her eyes tightly but with determination. If she could only see Starscream in her dreams, then she would go there. And whoever was at her door would leave eventually.

"What is the meaning of this?"

She _knew _that voice. Flipping over she fell gracelessly off the sofa. Alexis believed it was him even more than before when Starscream had the audacity to laugh. That stopped soon enough, his laughter shattering and easily halted as she got up, threw her arms around him and held tight.

It _was_ him. It wasn't a dream. He was _real_.

Inside something unfamiliar sprang up, a desperation that became frantic. Alexis was left both scared and excited by the need.

She kissed Starscream with a strength behind the action that pushed him back and down on the floor. Alexis saw the flash of surprise in his eyes and then saw nothing else for some time. Just felt. Felt him against her, hands straying as she touched his arms. Their bodies came closer, mouths only parting when it was necessary. Time dissolved. The room they were in was galaxies away. When she felt his hand make their way under her shirt, caressing the naked flesh of her back, she came to her senses.

Alexis had been told to never do more with a boy that you wouldn't feel comfortable doing in front of your own father. But with them wrapped around each another, one of her legs trapped between his, the other pressing against Starscream's outer thigh, the two so close that to breathe in deep was to be filled with his dominating scent, Alexis knew that she probably crossed that line. Guilt came over her own impulsiveness, bringing with it a shame from her actions.

Yes, they only kissed. But never did a kiss do what it was doing to her now. An unfamiliar sensation pulsed in her body, her breaths quick and irregular, a thrill following that wound up through her and down.

Starscream was looking at her with a devilish grin building. His hand withdrew from her back as he moved the hair out of Alexis' face. A finger brought under her chin, he lifted her face further upwards. And even as she expected him to speak, instead he unwound himself, pulling her flush against his firm chest, arms wrapping around her.

Silence grew. And despite the regret for her forward behavior, a smile grew on her face until she found herself grinning. She was so incredibly elated just to be near Starscream. And to think not even fifteen minutes earlier she was all ready to settle for a dream version.

That thought made Alexis laugh, the mirthfulness shattered the silence. Behind her, she felt Starscream shift. They both sat up. Scooting back, her hand met his face, caressing his cheek.

"You _are_ real."

"I most assuredly am that, Alexandra." He caught her hand in his, drawing it toward his mouth, lips brushing against the top. Turning it around, he placed more kisses on her palm. "And if you need any further proof..." He leaned forwards, hot breath trailing across her cheek.

"Not the kind I think you are offering," she said frankly. Emboldened by his own directness and even completely fascinated by who was in front of her, she found a strange form of courage tug inside of her as it directed what she said. "That is why we should probably leave my house. Being alone with you, I..." Her words weakened as his gaze intensified. His fingers caressed her wrist, a light feathery touch that made her gasp.

If his pride didn't show so evidently on his face from her reaction, things would have gone just a little differently. Instead, Alexis stood up and looked down. Starscream remained smug even as she hovered in a position of power from above.

"Besides, Starscream," she breathed his name out, astonishing herself at the seductive air it held. Ruby eyes darkened, the lust behind them frightening and empowering Alexis. "It's not _you_, I want."

That got Starscream off the floor. He directed Alexis toward the wall. The Seeker caged her against it with his body.

"Explain this," he rasped, his voice low and strained. The way he looked at her made some of her coyness vanish as sensitivity spread upon her continence. Despite the seriousness behind his demand, it was obviously not a desperate one. He leaned forward, and before she could explain his lips found her own. He took his time, slowly, laboriously caressing her with his mouth. Alexis' eyes shut tight. Starscream pulled her closer.

* * *

She was holding his hand. Alexis never really thought about such contact before, but she was intensely aware now. Alexis expected Starscream to back away from such a public show of affection. Instead, it seemed to make his shoulders stand up straighter; turning the contact into an ostentatious display of possession.

Alexis found she didn't mind. Walking through the base, they wound their way through. The two were on their way to his new center of command, and neither was in a hurry.

Starscream brought himself closer to her side, his voice low and only for Alexis. "I understand." The intimacy of his inflection of words caressed her flesh.

"What?"

His mouth curved upwards, accentuating the tip of his slightly pointed nose. The attraction she held for him fluttered within.

"What you were intimating earlier. I _know _what you meant."

"Do you?" But by the baffled look that held a hint of awe she knew he understood.

Suddenly, he shimmered away. The pressure from his hand faded as she was left standing there alone, but not for long. Before she could even begin to feel the separation, Alexis was picked up and brought up close to the real Starscream.

"I do." He didn't grin and didn't hold it over her as he gloated. Starscream just stared at her transfixed. "You want the _real_ me. As you should, I am quite a memorable experience."

Starscream saying it so openly and changing it to denote more than she meant, had her mouth falling open as she flushed a deep scarlet. Alexis' head lowered when she found herself unable to look at him. That was when in the daylight, sitting there in his palm, she noticed his changes.

There were delicate incisions that wound and curved along the matte metal on his arms. Alexis' head lifting and shifting, she saw it was all over him, a Cybertronian form of tattoos. Pushing herself a little back so she could get a better view, she saw that wasn't all that changed. His frame wasn't as bulky as she remembered, but more refined, lines of subdued red snaked across it.

"You've changed."

"For the better," he said. "Now that there is no necessity to be covert, I have reverted some to my original form."

Looking up into his face, she saw his facial features had changed a little as well, the jagged edges were not so severe. However, the air of power and deadliness remained.

"Thundercracker and Skywarp... they are not F-22's?" she asked of him with her eyes wandering still. The magnetic pull Alexis always felt when she was around Starscream commanded her attention.

"They are not. Both are Cybertronian jets at the moment. Neither as powerful as I, but there is art in their construction. Their level of potential destructiveness is only surpassed by my own." He started walking. "Tell me little one, what do you think of them? Do they impress you as I do?"

"Who ever said _you_ impressed me?"

"You do every time I am in your presence."

"You know you shouldn't always be so sure of yourself," Alexis told him.

"I have never been in the position to doubt myself. Doubt is a weakness that I shall never be burdened with."

"To admit one doesn't know can be attractive as well," she said. They came to an abrupt halt. Starscream's other hand came behind her, stopping her from falling off. He repositioned Alexis.

"Do you?" he inquired, the two words more than just a simple question.

"Nobody knows everything, Starscream, only God."

"Do not misdirect my question."

She chuckled even as she knew he was curiously serious. "It depends on the circumstance. I mean being uncertain nowadays can mean the difference between life and death so..."

He interrupted, "So, after all your useless ramblings you _prefer_ confidence. You desire someone possessing power and the knowledge of what to do with it."

Again, they started to move forward, his confidence regained by his own words.

"I find you attractive." Alexis smiled playfully. "Even if sometimes your... _power_ can be a little overbearing.

What she said caused Starscream to chuckle. He leaned down, a glint in his optics. "My innocent one you have no idea just how _overbearing_ my _power_ can be. However, you will know soon enough as I..."

She must have had some look on her face, for extreme disappointment was on his. He curtailed the words that were in all probabilities going to be something bluntly suggestive. Surprisingly, Alexis saw understanding in him as well.

"We have time," he relented. "But understand this: I am desperate to know you completely in mind as well as body. There will be no more walls between us. I know you are not naïve about what your attachment to me ultimately bestows. I will have you, and you will be mine," he purred as his vocals lowered. Already present heat grew behind his vocalization. "I will not relent in my pursuit of you until this objective is obtained."

He stopped. Head lifting up, he stared. Alexis shifted around. She noticed right away that Thundercracker was coming toward them. The blue Seeker had to stop and start a couple of times, having rather a time as he tried to make his way through the humans walking below.

"What is it?" Starscream asked his wingmate with exasperation.

Thundercracker looked down at Alexis and then back up at Starscream. "You wanted to be informed when Prime's data packet was received."

"I did. Alexandra, you will attend me."

She smiled at Starscream's choice of words but nodded her head.

"The data is of a _sensitive _nature," Thundercracker stated, blocking Starscream's path. "The flesh creature has no need to see its contents."

Alexis felt the tension build between them.

"Are you questioning me?"

"No, Starscream, I am questioning your choice of confidants. Having her pleasure you is one thing, allowing the human to..." When Starscream took a decisive step forward, Thundercracker stopped speaking, his head lowering.

Even being held out of the way, Alexis heard the conversation clearly.

"You _forget _yourself, Thundercracker. If you were _anyone _other than my wingmate, I would rip out your vocals and rid you of your spark for speaking with such impertinence."

"My lord," Thundercracker began. He took on a more formal tone and bowed slightly forward. "I meant no offense. Perhaps I was in error in regards to the value you place on this... this _human_."

"You _were_."

The blue Seeker looked up, now firm in his resolve. He straightened, his words coming out with determination. "Still, I must impress upon you the... delicacy of the information provided. And it would be beyond the human's discernment anyway."

"All the more reason..." Starscream didn't finish. The two Seekers looked at each other, a wordless conversation continuing.

Starscream put Alexis down. Her eyes drifting up to Thundercracker, she expected a form of boastful victory. However, he only remained stoic, moving off to give them privacy.

"This won't take long," Starscream told her. He joined his wingmate.

A shiver ran up her spine when both jumped in the air and transformed, deftly cutting through the sky. Soon enough, the only evidence that the two Seekers had even been there were the two wisps of smoke that hung defiantly in the air above, until they too disappeared.


	11. Being

Thundercracker was unimpressed. And he could hardly believe that the mud ball of a planet they were now on was something that Starscream so aggressively wanted to return to.

And to work with the Autobots? He thought it some form of a twisted joke. Seeing it in action though, actually _being_ a part of it and walking through their compound freely with many a puny human walking under pediform, was enough to wake him up to the reality he was in.

Starscream was decidedly fixed. Their purpose somehow infused with a new resolve that he had not witnessed in some mega-cycles. An excitement and enthusiasm behind it that could have one believing they actually stood a chance against Megatron. Thundercracker was still undecided on that part, but it was his duty to follow Starscream, and he saw no reason to doubt him yet.

Getting used to the overly colorful planet had been one thing, yet another to work with Autobots. And it was an entirely different concept that of the human femme; the one designated Alexis Rivers. The one Starscream was so enamored with.

TC tried to recall when he last saw his wingmate act thus toward a femme, but he couldn't, which marked the actions of his trinemate all the more due to its aberrant appearance. If it interfered with Starscream's duties as their commander, TC would have at least had a valid complaint, but Starscream was sharper and more cunning, things coming together like they hadn't in some time.

At first, Thundercracker decided on ignoring the odd interaction. He believed whatever attraction the human held for Starscream would pass. While he didn't understand the extent of what was going on, something told him it was far more complicated than he realized. He tried not to think about it, a rather strenuous task that seemed impossible. The girl was constantly sought out by Starscream, even brought back to their base many a time. The two were always preoccupied with one another.

Skywarp found it amusing. Thundercracker did _not_.

And how by Primus did he end up in the circumstance he was now facing? A task that was making his mainframe want to crash from the sheer torture. It was because he underestimated the femme and the influence she had over his wingmate.

When Starscream told him of his plans that involved Skywarp and himself, he gave them no way out. His gaze such that to even hint at the desire of not carrying out such an ordeal would have been foolhardy. That is why the three were now walking toward the area of activity, and why the Trine mixed rather well into the crowd of humans. For they were human as well, or at least the representation of ones.

That particular detail hadn't been an order, but a request. While Warp was getting a kick out of it, Thundercracker couldn't believe what they had come to.

But of course, he still spent more time than what had probably been necessary to get his holo-form just right. He was never a mech to go half way on something. While he believed he did an adequate job of making a human counterpart of himself, he still felt it entirely unnecessary and ultimately revolting. Especially when he activated it. How did the flesh creatures settle for such insignificant bodies? All that managed to look primarily identical in appearance. Warp got a good laugh when he took his first steps that Thundercracker had been little prepared for, but showed him how much he depended on his wings to maintain balance. Quickly compensating he managed not to make a complete fool of himself, but that didn't stop Skywarp from cackling from his near fall.

"Didn't you try practicing?"

Thundercracker's eyes became large in outrage at the suggestion, his fists clamping shut and landing hard against his flesh. He flinched, surprised when sharp pain shot through his legs.

"True to form and function," Skywarp said, coming up to him. "Starscream spared nothing. He wants every single sensation these humans feel, to be felt by us as well."

"The purpose?" he asked.

"Why would he make us take on this form at all? Or go with him tonight? He obviously wants us to learn about them." Skywarp smiled wide at that. A reaction that actually took over his entire human face as it expanded.

Staring, taking a good look at Skywarp, he saw his wingmate in the flesh creature. He had dark black hair that shined with undertones of purple and tanned flesh that radiated under the suit he was wearing. He still held a careless, rather flippant attitude that the unwise could interpret as unfocused. Finding out otherwise if they dared to challenge him. For despite appearances, he was anything but. Sometimes TC believed Warp enjoyed making others believe he was less than he really was. Then again, anyone foolish enough to underestimate any Seeker was asking for a punishment. Such a title was not bestowed on just any mech; it was earned.

Warp returned TC's stare. He looked Thundercracker over and analyzed his appearance.

"Your nose isn't you," he stated dryly.

"I could say the same about your choice of eye color," Thundercracker snapped back. His shoulders lifted as he became defensive. How they had fallen to even be discussing such a thing.

"What's wrong with brown?"

"Nothing, if you like dull."

Skywarp got a good chuckle out of that. "Well, if anyone could give a lesson on _that_ subject..."

The two argued until Starscream appeared. The way he walked toward them with such aptitude showed his acclimation to such a form. Ten minutes later they headed to their destination, and the torturous task that their Supreme Air Commander forced upon them.

A party.

* * *

Many an eye landed on the three as they made their way through the humans. A clearing actually formed as they strutted confidently through. TC and Warp followed Starscream, who, ignoring the appreciative stares, fixed upon his purpose.

Thundercracker no longer needed to guess where they were headed or to whom. The girl was talking to someone when they arrived in the grassy field, a male who quickly excused himself when he became surrounded by the three dominating Decepticons. Even as humans they still had tremendous presence.

Warp and TC standing back, Starscream approached the femme. A look passed between the two that was dynamic as it was disturbing. She boldly stepped toward Starscream, putting her hands on his shoulders as she smiled wide.

"You look... wow," she told him as she eyed his suit. All three were wearing them, in different tones and styles, a thing that was required for the formal occasion, or as TC now interpreted, requested by the femme. A part of him fumed.

Turning toward them, Alexis acknowledged the two with a stiff downturn of her head before returning her attention back to Starscream. The two talked in low whispers, Skywarp and Thundercracker were as good as forgotten.

The girl was dressed differently. A dress, TC believed it was called, one that seemed to glide across her flesh as it bound strategically to her human curves. Her hair was pulled up and back and from the brief glance she spared him, her face was different as well. Alexis' eyes were shadowed and outlined; lips glossed, cheeks flushed with color.

TC was all ready to say something to Warp when he found himself alone. His wingmate already abandoned him for the festivities, undaunted in the least by the foreign celebration. He felt oddly betrayed. More so when Starscream suddenly disappeared and left him alone with the female.

She walked slowly forward. He felt his back stiffen sharply as his muscles stretched, his fingers curling strangely. Alexis looked up at him.

"Thundercracker?" she asked. It was the first time she directly spoke to TC. Her voice was soft and full of kindness. He spared her a glance before directing his attention away. To him, the female was of little concern.

Getting the idea, she made no further attempts at communication. Starscream returned and handed her a cup filled with liquid. Being how the galaxy was ironic and full of ceaseless humor, that was when someone just happened to bump into the girl. The beverage splashed and collided with Thundercracker, dark purple liquid immediately absorbed by the dark-gray suit he wore. But it only got worse. Suddenly, the femme was back, a cloth now in her hand. She apologized profusely, wiping at the liquid as she tried to halt its trail.

"Don't touch me," he lashed out, his voice barely above a whisper, but it held power of will behind it that had the femme backing away as if he pushed her. "I can take care of it _myself_."

His holo-form blinked off and then back on. The liquid hovered in the air before falling between them. He expected retaliation, but Alexis only looked at him, open, honest and unwavering, something that could be considered a challenge if there wasn't such genuine sincerity behind it. His insides stalled momentarily. He directed his attention elsewhere.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, and she was ready to say something further when Starscream came beside the girl. Taking hold of her shoulder, he gave TC a rather scorching look.

"_What_ do you think you are doing?"

"It was my fault. I bumped into him," Alexis explained.

TC wasn't expecting that, and he tried to recall the last time anyone around him willingly accepted the blame for something.

Starscream seemed to ease up a little from her words, but his gaze upon his wingmate turned malicious. "What are you standing there for? Get Alexis another drink. _Now_." He pointed past him where a table was set up by some bushes and under a large leafy tree, a crowd of humans swarming around it.

TC answered immediately and succinctly, "No."

Starscream stepped away from Alexis and moved forward. "_What_ did you say?"

"I said _no_. I am nobody's slave, most certainly not a human's."

"You would defy me?"

"On this matter, yes."

The Supreme Seeker stared; his eyes lost behind the tight slits of his lids. Suddenly, Starscream was chuckling. "I guess I should expect no less from you. Nevertheless, I warn you now, be mindful of how you carry yourself around Alexis in the future. Her offense is my offense."

* * *

After the strange utterance of Starscream's, Thundercracker began to watch the femme. Before he had always been able to dismiss her, but there was something behind his wingmate's words, something powerfully binding and with a purpose, something new.

This wasn't just a dalliance on Starscream's part, yet TC was ill at ease to give it a definition, for a definition would have given it a form. The way his fellow Seeker treated her was also new. As if he actually respected the creature, as if he actually...

No, not Starscream. Starscream above them all was untouched by such weaknesses. She was obviously a means to an end, something required to get something done. Nothing more. Nothing less. And for now, nothing would convince Thundercracker otherwise.

* * *

He lost them. And somehow he knew it had been on purpose. The party was still in full swing. From the patches of conversation he overheard, Thundercracker gleaned that the main attraction was about to commence now that it was getting dark. Fireworks, or some pyrotechnics show that was supposed to be the fruition of the celebration, the mark of the fourth of that July.

TC was still looking for them fifteen minutes later and passed Warp some time ago. His wingmate appeared to be having fun and obviously enjoying himself as well, many a femme surrounding him. An invitation had been given from Skywarp to join him, but he declined before the request finished.

"_Your loss_," was Warps energetic reply. His amusement and non surprise of his refusal had been apparent over their shared link. "_These human femmes seemed starved for attention, or perhaps just mine_."

* * *

Thundercracker found them at last. Both were standing behind a small white building. Alexis was leaning against it, Starscream before her and pressing in close. They were doing something entirely odd. Their mouths were touching, an uncharacteristic gentleness behind Starscream's caress that spoke of reigned in control and unconventional patience.

TC wanted to know why. And what the purpose of the mouths touching were. Obviously, a form of pleasure, which made him question once more why Screamer didn't just take the femme if that is what he wanted. And did he want to try her as a human or a mech? And if as a human, how exactly did they consummate? And why in any form was Starscream holding back? That was not like him, not in the least. Suddenly, they pulled apart. Starscream whispered something to her that Thundercracker was unable to decipher.

His shoulders jerked up when Starscream's voice rang clear through their internally shared communication line.

"_Stay with her until I return_."

He wasn't exactly trying to be incognito, but he thought he hid himself better than that. Starscream walked by him, latching onto him immediately, a reproachful eyebrow rising.

Alexis was aware of him now. She started to walk toward his location. He saw hesitancy in her steps. Halfway there, she stopped. Someone called her name, and she reacted immediately. Turning around she walked in the opposite direction. Another human female joined her, along with two males. He scanned them. Only one held interest for Thundercracker, for like TC, he was a Cybertronian.

Staying where he was, Thundercracker watched the group. One of the males came closer to Alexis, affection and something else suddenly clearly marked on the girl's face. When the male spoke, Thundercracker placed him. There was no mistaking that the human was Prime's scout, Bumblebee.

"I _said_ to _stay_ with her." The words were said out loud this time. Turning, he found Starscream coming back. His attention was on the group of humans, a wave of jealousy sprouting from him so strong that even Thundercracker felt it.

"I did. You said nothing about how close."

Starscream huffed as he picked up his pace and joined the humans. He did another strange thing, grabbing hold of Alexis' arm, his fingers wandered lightly down it, until his hand wrapped around hers, fingers meeting as they intertwined. Starscream leaned in close and said something that had the girl nodding her head slowly before she was led off by Starscream.

"_Return to base_," Starscream ordered. "_I have no further need of you, and you have tested my patience enough for one night_."

Abruptly, the link closed; however, not as abruptly as Thundercracker shutting down his holo-form. Standing up on his pediforms, wings stretching out, he vowed never to be human again.


	12. Desideratum

Never before had Alexis been stared at so completely and not even seen. Yet that is exactly what she felt when Thundercracker observed her. It put her off immediately and when she had the misfortune to accidentally spill something on him, her irritation grew even as she tried her best to be nice.

But he was antagonistic, and was turning a night she had looked forward to since Starscream's return, into something she was praying to end. Of course, the Seeker had to stay with them, scrutinizing her as he followed them around. Yes, she tried a couple more times to speak to him, but her agitation only grew at his lack of response.

Sensing her frustration, Starscream lost his wingmate. The two were finally alone, for all of fifteen minutes, until he found them again along with Mika, Sam and Bee.

She was relieved when Mikaela and the others located her. She was momentarily filled with the anxiety of approaching Thundercracker alone and already fed up with dealing with him. Quickly enough Starscream returned, giving Alexis all of two seconds to make excuses before he dragged her away.

* * *

"When you said get away, I didn't know you meant _this_."

Space, she was _actually_ in space. Earth was below, rotating slowly, a blue orb of a home planet with a beauty that moved her deeply. She stared for a long time, watching as they hovered above. Her eyes turned up; her breath catching in her throat. The stars were so close that Alexis felt that she could pluck one right into her hand, and the moon was a spectacular sight all on its own.

"It will not be such an easy task to interrupt us out here. And I desire to have words with you."

Alexis waited patiently for him to continue. She smoothed out her dress, fingers gliding down the fabric. To think it was a gift from Starscream, and was the same dress she tried on at the mall all those years ago. Still, she wondered, did he see her with it on that first time? Did he hold on to it all that time? Is that why he wasn't in the parking lot when she returned? Was he getting the dress?

She had to borrow a short jacket from Julia so that she could feel comfortable wearing it, the dress still more reveling in the front than she would ever permit herself to wear out in public. But the shock of Starscream showing up at her door with it along with the command for her to wear it, Alexis knew no matter what that she would.

"I believe it is time I tried you out." His voice was low and throttled, an excitement trailing behind that made her suddenly feel that much more like an adult.

"Starscream..." Alexis felt all the blood rush out of her face. She was mildly distressed by the horror of a way he said such a thing.

"You refuse me?"

"No. Yes... I mean... it's not as simple as that."

"I _want _you, Alexis. I _know _you desire me. Where in this entails the complication?" His tone was terse and edgy with agitation and anger building that he seemed unwilling to contain.

"Because we aren't, that is... you have only been back four days and..."

"Time has nothing to do with it," he said, and she knew he was searching for an answer.

"No, it doesn't," she replied.

Starscream was silent for a moment and obviously processing much. "I believe I know what you require. This ritual, the one your human companions observed, this marriage..."

"So, you want to marry me, so we can..."

"If that is what it takes to have you. Even so, why such a flimsy ceremony is required when you becoming my bonded would be so much more permanent and... intimate. You will marry me," he suddenly barked out, turning what were some of the most romantic words in the human language to a command that made her feel that she had no choice. Whatever romantic fantasies she imaged as a youth faded away, a part of her oddly not minding even as the other part mourned at the lack of sensitivity.

She knew, however, that under Cybertronian observations they were already considered, using a human word, engaged. In fact, from what she got from Starscream when they joined minds before he left, them becoming a bonded pair, from his view, was just a matter of course. If she was a femme, Alexis knew he would have taken her already. That Decepticons when choosing a companion usually did not dwell on such things as consideration or even permission. And usually when the spark mate was chosen the first encounter that left them bound together irrevocably could be as brutal as if they were on a battlefield.

"Starscream, you can't just order me to marry you. You _ask_. It's my decision. I could never marry someone if I didn't believe myself their equal."

"You shall be my equal in these matters. I wouldn't want a mate who couldn't hold her own against me."

"You are earnest."

"I am."

Alexis' seat tilted backwards and disappeared entirely underneath. Starscream appeared. He brought her to him, his hand caressing Alexis' cheek before wandering down her neck and lingering on the delicate flesh where her heart pulsed.

"Through you, I will learn of innocence and purity again. You are the only one my spark shall ever know. Command anything of me and it is yours. Planets? A Galaxy? Your world your own? An army to command? Tell me, and you will _not _be denied."

"Anything?" Her tone was terribly low, a whisper of breath that had his eyes shining bright.

"Anything," he reaffirmed.

Alexis slanted toward him, hand going behind his neck as she drew closer. "_Ask_ me to marry you then."

His eyebrows scrunched up, a peculiar expression ghosting over his continence. "And you will be mine?"

"I just want to hear you ask, Starscream. Call it a human need for a romantic experience."

He frowned. Alexis' heart skipped a beat. Momentarily, she thought she went too far. But then he caught her hand and brought it up, caressing it with his mouth.

"Be my mate, Alexis. And know that your acceptance of me shall bring forth an intimacy that no human has ever experienced before. However, do not think lightly of the position you will ultimately hold with me. And do not think I have chosen you on some idle whim. A Seeker has not taken a mate in many a mega-cycle. When you are my spark mate, you will conceive how binding such an act is even as this marriage ritual of yours will soon seem inconsequential. Just the same, I will have you as my wife as well as mate, so..." He merged his eyes with her own; emotion and open feeling swam in their depths. "...marry me, Alexandra?" His words came out strained and rather fierce, uttered with obvious difficulty. He was not used to asking and doing so disturbed him. She always found it incredibly attractive though when he pushed past his pride and managed to.

Alexis' mouth fell open and tears welled in her eyes. She considered the question, finding that a part of her never really believed he would ask. Alexis knew she wanted him, knew even before he returned that her future was already set with Starscream. Yet now that the question was out, her mind rushed forth, pushing through her hopes as it slapped her with reality and the unconventionality of their entire relationship. However, strange as it may have seemed, it was a part of what drew her to Starscream. He was so unlike anyone she ever knew and had long ago dashed all hopes of any sort of possibility of wanting another.

Blinking herself out of the daze she easily fell into, she considered things. Despite what Starscream believed, marriage was the very peak of seriousness to her, a commitment and shared covenant that would be binding and permanent. She would be giving everything she was to her husband and trusting him perhaps even more than herself just by loving him alone. She could compromise for him and let her pride rest. She could share all with him and not be ashamed. There was confidence that he would be there for her, and that he would protect her if need be, that he would keep her safe at any cost. And he would sacrifice as well. Alexis knew that. The way he felt about her was overwhelming and scary but was somehow exciting as well.

Half consciously the negatives started to swim upwards. That of her faith that he so obviously didn't share, the marriage ceremony, and what her friends would say. Struggling, she pushed the daunting whispers back. Even if they were complications that, one way or another, were going to have to be addressed. Falling back on the contentment of the prior thoughts, she rid herself of the needless worrying.

Alexis replied with the only answer there could have been. "Yes, my answer is yes."

With that she found herself led backwards, Starscream lying beside her. Their hands met, he brought his body upwards as he leaned over her, a glimmer in his eyes.

"Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, I believe there are no more obstacles to me experiencing you."

Alexis blushed as she whispered, "Actually we would have to get married first. I mean... I think I want to... I mean I... this is what you meant... you actually want... I mean as a human?" Alexis hated the way her words sounded. They were a garbled mess of incoherent speech, but nervousness was suddenly there when she realized that was what he was suggesting all along. Once more, she pulled herself away. Sitting up, he came alongside. She felt Starscream staring.

"What exactly does this marriage ritual entail?"

For the last four days Alexis kept Starscream at bay, four days she had to convince herself to keep his physical attentions at a minimum. Her resolve was weakening, her dreams awakening and her body responding in ways that frightened. To even be away from him caused a pain that wasn't easily quelled.

"Alexandra?"

His hand was lingering on her arm, three fingers sliding back and forth. Starscream got even closer as he came around front.

"I would have to get a dress for one, but white isn't exactly easy to find nowadays." How could she speak so much when she wanted to be doing something else entirely? She wanted that mouth of his to be on top of hers and wanted to feel that pleasurable rush that hinted at possibilities.

"White?" Starscream echoed.

"It's worn by a bride to show her innocence and virtue," Alexis explained.

"Then it must be a rarity indeed for a bride to wear such a color. You humans are not known for abstinence, and few even on your base could claim such a quality."

"You can actually; I mean... never mind. Don't tell me."

"Even your companion Julia could not..."

Alexis sat up, shaking her head, hands covering her ears. "I _said_ don't tell me." She dropped her hands as she rolled her eyes. Starscream held the appearance of someone who was trying hard not to laugh. "What about..." Alexis tried to search for the way to say it, deciding for the direct approach because her mind was out of loopholes, she went for it."...bonding. How exactly does that work?"

"Fortunately, for one, there is no required ceremonies. And unlike this marriage of yours, it is permanent. I shall be formatted to you and shall know no other after."

She thought about that. Alexis was delighted at first and then distraught. "But Starscream... I mean... I only, that is, humans only live to about eighty or so, and even then..."

"I shall keep you as long as possible, and you shall remain a part of me until I off-line," Starscream declared.

"But to never be able to be with another, I..."

"I shall be able to _be_ with another, just not create a spark-bond with them. I shall be mated to only you, Alexandra. It is my choice."

"But it will be so lonely after I am gone. I mean..."

He interrupted, "I have been alone for longer than you can possibly imagine little one. Being alone again is not something I want to contemplate. Not right now."

Tears were welling in her eyes, and even though his words were terse they held an ache behind them that tugged at her heart.

"I just don't want to be a cause of pain for you," Alexis said, her words just above a whisper.

He frowned and scooted closer. He wiped off her tears with his fingers. "There is no avoiding that. It will be a part of what I will have to ultimately accept. It does not make me want you any less. Although it does want me to have you... _sooner_."

This time his voice was soft, a comfort of words that touched and warmed. She responded, wrapping her arms around him as she pulled him into a hug, holding Starscream as close as she could. "I don't want to leave you, Starscream. I don't want..." Alexis pulled back. Her expression was obviously alarmed for the Seeker picked up on it.

"What is it?" he asked, his words heavy and gruff, muscles clenching under her light grip as the craft suddenly stopped moving. Near Earth, the F-22 drifted between the stars.

"I forgot..." She bit her lip. Grimacing, Alexis tried not to think of what her words could mean, or what sort of thing could come out of it. "...you're going to have to meet my parents."

Alexis knew that phrase wasn't all together popular among the male of her species, but she would never forget the disturbance that rippled through Starscream's face.

"When?"

"The sooner we talk to them, the sooner we can get..."

"Then tomorrow," Starscream commanded.

"Perhaps we should wait until..."

"Tomorrow," he repeated firmly.

Alexis found there was no arguing with him, so she throttled her apprehension down as she relaxed. Enjoying the wonders of space one more, she became fascinated and enthralled at all that Starscream could offer and was capable of. But then a rather dominating thought came racing through. She couldn't ignore that one.

God help her. Starscream was going to meet her parents.


	13. Vagary

They never did have the talk that Bumblebee wanted. But between Starscream's return and the scout being stuck on guard duty, he never saw much of Alexis anymore.

He had high hopes for the fourth of July celebration, but that was dashed when he saw the three humanized Seekers, and especially after he saw the way Starscream guarded Alexis.

Finally, they came upon her alone. Bumblebee was unable to take his eyes off her. His heart rushed with a surge of adrenaline and a gush of blood that burst through his veins. He only had two minutes and forty-two seconds to take the image of Alexis in before Starscream returned in a huff, a glare evenly placed among the three as he pulled Alexis to him. Whispering in her ear, he lifted an eyebrow for the scout to see, a signal of victory. And then Starscream led her away. All the effort that it took to convince Optimus to allow him to use his holo-form temporarily; wasted.

Bitterness swelled inside of Bumblebee, a sudden melancholy that caught him unexpectedly. Making excuses to his friends, he went to his quarters, losing himself in the task of upgrading his surveillance and scouting equipment until the first signs of sunlight pushed through his window. His optics hovered on the image of the new morning. Bee's door chime sounded off. Putting his tools down, he went to the door.

It was Alexis. By the looks of her appearance, she had been crying.

"I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head as she glanced up. More tears broke loose, lingering down her flesh. "I would've gone to Mikaela, but she has had problems sleeping since she became pregnant, and I..." she sighed heavily. Wiping off her face, she tried to compose herself. Alexis' head shifted, eyes widening. She looked over his compartments. All the years they had lived on the base it was the first time she came there. She seemed hesitant at first about entering, but followed through; the door whooshing behind them, both were shut in.

Bee reversed, sitting down. He activated his human form out of instinct before he returned to her side. Whenever he was around her, there was always _that _feeling. Sometimes it was subtle, sometimes he could even ignore it when he chose to, but that particular morning it was all-consuming, forcing his thoughts to push forward in a chaotic garble of erotic whisperings. Just to be near, then holding onto Alexis as she sobbed on his shoulder, was far more than he could almost deal with. A pain ignited in his chest along with the odd sensation that he couldn't breathe, even though he didn't need to. And then a terrible throbbing began that made him feel quite out of his element in human sensations.

"You were right," she whispered. Her warm breath cascaded down the flesh of his ear. The sound of her soft voice so close caused further stirrings in his body, such discomfort that was building into pain.

Alexis pulled away. "Starscream, that is..." She lost her words as an exhale of breath proceeded, eyes turning upward they found his own. Alexis sat down on the only piece of human furniture in his chambers, a sofa that Sam insisted Bumblebee install.

He followed. Sitting, he gave her room.

"I don't know what I was thinking," she began. Alexis' eyes were focused in front of her, as if she was envisioning some sort of play that was being performed. "I really thought I loved him, that he was the _one_, that he was _it_. But now that he is back I see that it was only my need to... I don't know- help him, save him. And after, after..." Her words lost their strength as she shivered. "...after I told Starscream..." She got off the coach, pacing her hands twisted together. "We had such a fight. I have never seen him like that. I... it was _horrible,_ Bee... terrifying. I thought he was going to..."

How did he end up behind Alexis? Bumblebee certainly didn't remember moving, but suddenly she was in his arms with that tingling sensation spreading faster than before.

"Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head. "No, but he said some things, _terrible_ things. I..." She backed up a little, her hands still enclosed in his. "I lied," Alexis finished. Her eyes lifted up as she stared at him. There was a look behind the gaze that was unexpected, bewildering and full of such endearment that Starscream seemed to fade in the background. The air around Bee turned warm.

Bumblebee found his voice at last. "About what, Alexis?"

He wanted to leave and to get away from the proximity of her overwhelming presence. But he could see something was on her mind, and despite the words of caution drifting inside, Bumblebee was unable to move.

"About going to Mika, it wasn't her, I wanted to see at all, despite her... that is..." She licked her lips, head turning to the side, hands pulling back as she wrapped them around her body. She backed up a couple of steps, suddenly having a hard time looking at him. "I have had years to think about things and now that Starscream has returned; I realized it was never him, I wanted, never him, I... _loved_." She bit down on her lower lip, wincing. Alexis stood straighter, determination building. "It was always you, the gentle, compassionate one, the... noble one. How could I ever think I loved Starscream? After all that he did, after all he probably has in mind."

Alexis was back. Bumblebee found himself immobilized; his human body locked down. Her hand caressed his cheek, such want in her gaze. Caution demanded to be used, so many reasons as to why coming along with it. But with Alexis touching and looking at him like _that_, the warnings that blared in his mind were contained as his own desire and need escaped.

Suddenly, they were kissing, a form of contact that was like no other they had shared before.

She loved him. She loved him. She loved _him_.

His hand wrapped greedily around Alexis, such passion contained for her that it frightened. His logic told him to be careful, warnings becoming louder and almost discernible before they were lost in her next touch. After that he thought of nothing but Alexis.

* * *

Bumblebee couldn't believe what they just did. Couldn't believe what Alexis _let _him do to her.

He tried to stop several times, but the thought would barely make itself known before he forgot about it entirely. The way she tasted and felt... that look in her eyes all for him. He couldn't stop telling Alexis that he loved her, over and over the words were repeated. He promised they would be married. That she would be his mate.

He hurt Alexis when he took her innocence. Guilt rose, yet, for some reason; all Bumblebee could think about was his touch upon her. It was an obsession; nothing else mattered. Out of all his fantasies and all of his dreams, he never thought it would be so incredible.

A part of him knew he should have made her his mate first, but he wanted to get the image of her and Rad together out of his processor, wanted to make his own memories with Alexis as Bumblebee took her as a human male would.

Being with her, he had thought the ache would still some and it did for a moment. Until she pushed her body away, wrapping the throw Mikaela had given him for Christmas, around her body. His eyes wandered at her legs sticking out from below it, the curves of her shoulders, and then when she turned, the smoothness of her back.

He didn't say anything to her after it was over. Bee was afraid to break the silence, afraid to touch Alexis for fear he might find her to be some illusion. But he couldn't remain still nor silent for long. A now-familiar form of physical anguish was building that forced him to speak.

"Alexis?"

She stirred a little but remained where she was. Her fingers pulled the throw tighter against her body.

"Alexis, about what we did... I..." Bumblebee was about to tell her again that he loved her, but she had to know by now, if not by his words than by his very actions. Guilt was working through him again, yet he was obsessively thrilled that he had ultimately been the first to touch her so intimately. "We will be married as soon as you want. I know how important your virtue is to you, and I... I promise I won't touch you again until..."

Suddenly, she rolled around. Alexis pushed the hair out of her face and stared at him. Bumblebee's words crashed incomplete as his eyes roamed. She was so beautiful, skin vibrant with a sheen from their encounter, her eyes still rather wide, her mouth slightly parted.

By Primus, why did he have to make it a promise, why did he have to...

She sat slowly up, closing the gap between them as she brought her body along his side, gazing at him with an intensity that astounded. Her fingers brushed over his mouth, a small smile appearing on her face along with a sadness that made him wish he never touched Alexis until after...

"Now that we have done it once..." Alexis' mouth found his. A tease of a touch that left him feeling like he was drowning. "...we might as well do it again, Bee. That is... if you want to..." She blushed. The words were so unexpected that he found himself thoroughly shocked. "I love you too, Bumblebee," Alexis whispered as he pulled her back down on him. "And I will marry you... and we..." Her blush deepened. His mouth found her bare shoulder. The throw slowly dropped.

She never got a chance to finish the words, his lips desperately seeking hers, joy spreading as once more he claimed what was now his.

* * *

Bee was delirious. He hadn't been able to stop smiling for some time. He was holding Alexis now. She fell asleep some time ago, and while he knew he should have returned to his true form and recharged; he couldn't leave her, not even for an instant.

But then suddenly Alexis was getting up, stretching as she pulled the throw along with her. Catching sight of Bumblebee, she turned pink, still unable to look at his body even after what they just did several times.

He watched Alexis get dressed. A pleasure was found in that even when she managed to do so without much of her skin showing. By Primus how he loved her skin, her legs, her hands and her mouth. The way she sounded when he discovered yet another sensitive spot. He searched for words to say, but he was still in the state of the surreal that all he could do was continue to watch.

Bumblebee saw the change, but felt it before that. The hazy, sensual world he was in came crashing down. The truth that had been trying to make itself known stood right before him.

"I meant to get out of here before the stimulant wore off. But no matter, my task is finished here." Alexis' voice was now cold and lifeless. Reality hit him so hard that he felt sick and queasy. He felt nothing for this human. Nor did he detect the energy signature that was all Alexis and a part of her identity thanks to one Seeker. The way she stood and looked at him was entirely wrong as well.

Who he was with, had loved body and nearly spark, and said things to that he had told no other, wasn't even Alexis. It didn't matter if he had been drugged. He should have known, should have been on the alert and should have taken precautions of such an eventuality.

Deactivating his holo-form, he brought his weapons online. Or tried to, they refused to respond.

"Don't bother," LX said, her voice so emotionless and cold that it was hard to believe that for the last several hours, she had emanated such warmth, love and passion. "Now I must report to my master and you..." She smiled mechanically. "...you are done for." She laughed at that, Alexis' laugh. The sound chilled his spark to the very core.

"If it is any comfort, you were far more interesting than the human. Although I must say, I never believed it would be this easy. My counterpart holds on to her virtue like a vise. And she is filled with such morals and delusions about the sharing of her body that I thought you would have known something was wrong the moment she... that is _I_... gave in and let you take what she values so greatly."

LX approached him. Leaning against his leg, she gave him a savoring kiss along the crease of his paneling. Her eyes sought his optics. It was like looking into a blank void that was familiar yet dark and unreachable.

Again, she spoke. Her tone was still detached of emotion even as reproach and ridicule seemed to underline each word. "Of course the fact that I can't reproduce her energy signature... well, you have no one to blame but yourself. You allowed your lust and love to overshadow your logic and reasoning. Some soldier you proved to be."

It was humiliation and despair all rolled together. He wanted to swipe her away, wanted to capture her, no kill her. However, he was incapacitated.

"Don't worry. It'll wear off as soon as I go," she let him know, as if hearing his thoughts. "I would say not to try following me, but you won't be able to anyway."

Taking a couple of steps away, she turned around and exited the room. And with that, his optics went black as his mainframe crashed.

* * *

Coming on-line Bee found that he was in the med lab. Ratchet hovered above. He knew then that something was wrong, something beyond what had just happened with Alexis.

No, _not _Alexis.

The medic was going on, telling him that he was infected with a virus that turned off his weapon systems, disabled his com lines and was also spreading through the base.

"How did this happen?" Ratchet wanted to know.

Bumblebee's processor stalled, his spark hurting as terror exploded deep within. He explained as best as he could. The medic got the idea soon enough.

"I won't live with this. Nobody could expect me to," Bee lamented. He felt sorrow, overwhelming sorrow, and anger and regret and such sadness that it was a form of madness. He knew what he needed to, knew what he was going to do. He couldn't face Alexis, couldn't live with the memory of the encounter. What he did would ruin everything between them. The most precious thing he had with anyone.

"What do you think you are doing?" Ratchet asked, his vocals tainted with surprise and bewilderment.

However, it was too late. The parameters were already entered; the time frame and length imputed. He started the process. Ratchet hollered something, but his consciousness drifted into a soft, safe place.

By the time Bumblebee came on-line again, his encounter with LX would be deleted.


	14. Premonition

Being called directly to the medical quarters always made Optimus wary.

"I got your message," Prime said. Coming into Ratchet's offices he stood before the medic's console. "It was rather devoid of details."

"Quite," Ratchet replied, optics leaving the data he was studying. He turned the projected screen off. "I believe what I need to inform you requires your personal, immediate attention."

"You found a way to locate this LX?" he asked. "Or perhaps have further illumination on Mikaela's condition?"

Ratchet backed out of his chair as he stood up. Fist made, he smashed it down. "No, I have not," the medic said tersely, his vocals heavy with anxiety. "And now my attention is required elsewhere." Swiping his hand forward a display lit up between them. Their optics view was taken over by the vision of Bumblebee dormant on a recovery berth. "We have a new problem. LX has managed to infect Bee with a virus. And while it is not terminal its intended purpose is."

"And just how did she manage to infect him?" Prime questioned further.

"Prolonged... contact."

There was more behind the medic's words than Ratchet was willing to illuminate. Whatever it was though was obviously confidential. And while Optimus could have pushed the issue, he had in part already guessed what happened. After all the LX could appear as Alexis and whatever ingenuity behind the spy there was, it could probably fool even the best of them.

"You said this was not spark threatening, and yet Bumblebee appears quite immobile," Optimus observed.

"His systems are in recovery mode. Be grateful that I managed to isolate him as early as I did. Even still, the virus is spreading. It has already managed to enter our base's systems. One by one it is turning our security off and disabling our weapons. It will be just a matter of time before the security fields are deactivated. Which will enable the Deceptions to not only find us, but to defeat us with great alacrity. Not only that..." Ratchet sighed, hand swiping forward another screen showed, one of the infected scout. "...the infection is not just directed at our base's mainframe and power core, but at our own internal systems as well. Activate your weapons," Ratchet directed.

Prime took a large step back activating the protocol. Nothing happened. He tried again, still nothing.

Ratchet's frustration grew with Optimus' demonstration. "We are defenseless," he said sullenly, "and our communications have been disrupted. It will be a matter of hours before all communication links are down," the medic informed.

"And how long before our base is exposed?" Optimus asked, the gravity of the situation hit him. Several internal programs took off, preparing and showing Prime how to deal with the new dilemma.

"I have ordered a quarantine of the base. At least I will be able to stop the virus from spreading. Days, a week perhaps, maybe two. Right now, I would say to prepare for the worst, and," Ratchet suggested gravely, "issue hand weapons and external communications lines. Past that we must be realistic. An attack is imminent."

* * *

She was pregnant. Mikaela came to terms with that. She even managed to handle Sam's parents overdone excitement and her husband's shock. However, after Ratchet finally finished a thorough examination the astonishment of her expecting a baby was overshadowed quickly enough.

For she was now a carrier of a fragment from the AllSpark. The medic only had one explanation for that. Sam had to have been exposed at some point and then passed it on to her. And when she became pregnant, the AllSpark became active, revived by the very state of life that was growing within.

Anger was Mikaela's first reaction, followed swiftly by fear, and even if it gifted her with the further desire to have the child that need came at too high a cost. Still too many questions lingered at the startling revelation. Many concerning what the AllSpark might do to her unborn baby. Ratchet tried desperately to find more answers.

Thinking back she could actually place when the AllSpark shard woke, for that had been when the dreams started. They were nothing at first but as each day passed the clearer they became, no longer just the whispers of her subconscious mind; a new world opened up when she dreamed.

Mikaela was asleep now. She knew that with that vague certainty one had while they were dreaming. However, she dismissed that revelation as a dreamer does. Sequences followed. Her awareness of the unconscious state sank back.

The dreams always went the same way. However, this time was different. This time she could walk out of the darkness, out of the dim never-ending passageways, finding herself in the middle of a chamber. The space was darker than the rest. Sparse illumination revealed familiar surroundings, though she knew she had never been there before.

And there was something else, a sense of power was firm in her body, a state of awareness that she was a great instrument of life and death, of beginning and endings. She knew that she was feared, yet revered, and coveted by all Cybertronians.

Walking forward something grew inside her body, an erotic hum that drilled through her very being. Power surged. An egotism was present as well that went beyond pride as she was firmly assured of her own greatness.

For she didn't just hold power within her, she _was _power.

"My dear, I am so glad you are here."

Mikaela went toward the voice. Shadows pulled back as she approached a figure on an elaborate throne. Megatron. Optics slid over her frame as if she was to be devoured. She found her shoulders rising firm, her own eyes sweeping over the Deception leader with appreciation. She took in all the intricate parts, the spread-out panels that partially covered a massive frame. The sharp-edged shoulder blades and many a weapon hidden underneath and on him that would have terrified most of their levels of potency, but for her only served to increase his allure.

Mikaela spoke, her voice was imperious and tightly woven. "How dare you summon me in such a fashion. I am not one of your minions to be ordered about like a dog."

Ruby optics surged, amusement and something salacious in his very gaze. She was picked up. Angered at the physical intrusion, she pushed him away. Mikaela was put down on his thrown's armrest. A digit lingered as it went up her back in a manner than implied past intimacy.

Mikaela slapped his finger away, scowling. "I did not give you permission to touch me," she snapped.

"And yet just hours ago..."

"Was hours ago. I do not care for you right now. Touch me again and I will make you suffer."

His touch withdrew, disappointment there along with an anger that thrilled. She took pleasure in making him angry for she enjoyed fierce passionate lovers, and Megatron had yet to disappoint.

Engines were heard. The visually empty hall filled as they were interrupted. Three approached, bowing low. Mikaela's amusement turned to the three figures, a sense of mischief and delight turning her mouth upwards.

It was Starscream who finally stood. Approaching the steps that led up to the throne, he spoke. His vocals were heavy and withdrawn; bitterness and resentment echoed forward.

"We have finished the task, _Megatron_."

"So I have been informed." There was malignancy in Megatron's tone that Mikaela knew she had in part spawned. She prepared herself for further enjoyment of what promised to be a show. "However, I have also been informed that it was _Thundercracker, _who completed the task, so as much as it saddens me..." Megatron laughed at his obvious lie. Mikaela moved against his hand, rubbing one of her feet down his digit with approval. "...it will be Thundercracker, who gets the human this time. I am sure that after _your _attention, a change will be quite desirable for the flesh creature."

Mikaela was not disappointed. Starscream jumped at Megatron, but didn't get far. Soldiers appeared from the shadows, pushing the Seeker back down the steps to his wingmates. One guard leveled an enticingly sharp blade at his head.

Starscream didn't let that stop him. With a speed that excited the Seeker lunged forward, grabbing the blade as he used the soldier's own momentum as he drove it home into the broad chassis. Down the Deception went, energon flowing and seeping into the elaborate tiles underneath.

Another guard went down and another. More falling as the Seeker's fury showed no bounds. Now bored, she sighed.

Megatron's hand lifted, his fist clasping around a small rectangular device. Starscream stopped the useless attack. Falling down on the ground he writhed in pain from a simple pressing of a button.

"Thundercracker, do you _want _the girl?" Mikaela asked, she was enticed by the question. She felt an undeniable anger that was directed at the human in question.

The blue Seeker glanced down at Starscream. The Supreme Air Commander managed to shake his head as he protested verbally. Thundercracker ignored his trinemate, stepping up. He nodded his head forward. TC was disturbed, yet quite firm in his decision.

This time she and Megatron shared in the laughter.

* * *

The Seekers proved rather elusive to Mikaela. Bound together they were stronger than most. The human that was tied to them, creating the primary leverage they had that made them submit. And perhaps made them more resistant to her obvious power.

Once more, she was walking down a hallway. Passing a room, she experienced hesitation that she knew was not her own. Entering it, lights came on overhead. Before the light took over the darkness, she found herself grabbed from behind, pushed violently against the wall.

"Mikaela?"

"My love," she breathed out. The softness of her tone caused the grip to lesson. Mikaela stared up into the eyes of her husband.

She was no longer the other, no longer the force that had overtaken and possessed her. Tears welled in her eyes. She felt incredibly forlorn and hopeless.

He was what kept her here, what had her... she couldn't even think it. She would have done anything to keep Sam alive, and she was. Giving her body over to the very acts of... Mikaela had created life, more than once. She had spawned it and ensured its growth, and saw to its continuation, or at least the other inside of her body had. She was overwhelmed with its acts, forced to relive everything she had been used to do as it flashed through her in mere moments.

"Sam I..." She couldn't speak further. The thoughts were there, but the words could not be created.

"Shh..." He pulled her to him, rubbing her back, whispering in her ear. However, she couldn't stand what he was promising, couldn't listen to his words any longer. Mikaela's mouth sought his, passion flaming that she shared with the thing inside. She forced it to love Sam, to want him, forced it to keep him alive when she found herself incapable of doing so.

Sam led her to the other side of the room. Words were forsaken as actions took over. Comfort was sought out in the only form that made the pain lesson for a time.

* * *

The AllSpark left her alone long enough that she had some time with Sam. Feeling it awaken, she left Sam's arms. By the time she was outside the now locked room, she was no longer herself but more. For while the AllSpark was inside her, she was what gave it sentience. She was what created the personality and gave it form. The AllSpark was now a part of her. She was no longer one but two, split down the middle and yet now a darker version of herself.

Again, she was heading to another human's quarters. Guiding her was the need to know what transpired between the Seeker and the female. For Thundercracker had been sent there with a purpose that she knew he wasn't as adverse to as he tried to let on.

Loathing came as she thought of the girl, yet no definite terms as to why.

Entering the compartments was like stepping into another place all together. Starscream made sure his human was provided for. He did whatever it took to keep her safe, protected and guarded as much as was possible.

Human furnishings were abundant, more than even Sam had. Adorning the walls were lustrous paintings and elaborate tapestries. Spread throughout were several variations of time fillers, including books even a computer and a television. Many a Cybertronian influence was present as well including a large berth that hovered over an equally large bed, and tools spread here and there that spoke of Starscream's time spent there. However, despite the obvious comfort and decadence that the room contained, she knew the human was miserable in the dressed-up prison, beyond even Starscream's help, and knowing this pleased her.

The hatred came into focus, a word sparked through Mikaela's mind as if on a flash card.

_Rival._

The human was a rival.

For Alexis was also capable of creating life, and like her, beyond the abilities of a mere human. That made her a threat, especially since she refused to conform to her rightful duties as a life giver.

"Have I missed the excitement?" Mikaela asked, her words caressed by an erotic tone that made her feel alive as only the idea of copulation could.

She found Thundercracker sitting down on the floor. His knee plates were hunched toward his cockpit. His hands were forward, the right one open, the left snapped tightly shut.

"Where is Alexis?" Her question wasn't just an inquiry but a demand. For while Mikaela resented the human, she was still a valuable pawn in a game that she was far from through with. The expectation faded as impatience replaced it. She wanted to know and wanted to know now.

"I killed her," the blue Seeker said, his words impassive. His hand unclenched as the figure of the girl appeared. Lowering his hand, he tilted it at an angle. The human rolled lifelessly down onto the plush carpet beneath his pediforms.

Mikaela didn't believe him. For like Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker were fiercely protective of the human. Something she knew had more to it than the bond the Supreme Air Commander had formed with the girl. They were genuinely attached even cared for her in their individual ways. She approached the unmoving figure. There was no fear, no apprehension. She had no need for either. No one would even presume to threaten her. They wouldn't have stood a chance.

Being a part of Mikaela, she also had her memories. And so she knew much of the girl below her and what she was capable of. Duplicity was certainly not in this human's equation.

Leaning down, surprise and shock trailed through Mikaela's body and mind, new sensations that fought against the just introduced stimulus, that of unrivaled pain. For Alexis suddenly sprung forward from her supposed terminated state, something flashing in her hand as a sharp object entered Mikaela's body unchecked. She knew a Cybertronian couldn't kill her, but her arrogance never allowed her to consider a human capable, especially not _that _one. Stumbling backwards, the small blade still in her chest, crimson was spilled openly. Alexis ran to Thundercracker. The Seeker picked her up readily as they walked over her. The girl looked down at her with such open grief, remorse and horror from what she had done, that Mikaela knew her mortality was coming to an end.

And then in an instant, no longer was Mikaela two, but one. The AllSpark influence vanished as if a bad memory, taking away the terrifying version of herself, as her body and mind became all her own. Alarms rang off. Soldiers spilled into the compartments but were far too late.

Pulling the blade out, she roared. Years had gone by since she was totally herself. Years, since her child... oh no, not _that_...

Darkness overtook her and suddenly she was standing all alone. Until she stood beside herself. The unnaturalness of such an occurrence didn't enter her mind. And this time, but with more certainty, she knew she was dreaming.

Two sets of identical eyes melded, her own voice echoing around them, yet it wasn't she who spoke.

"See beyond your subconscious fears and know the truth." Her duplicate's hand griped firm to her arm. Body falling backwards, Mika was pulled along with the other as they landed on the ground. "Stop him or the end is near."

The ground started to crumble; the world was now unstable. Whispers, plans, destinations and even coordinates entered her mind. The ground disappearing, Mikaela fell. Some time went by before she convinced herself none of what was happening was real. Once she did the dream shattered as she woke.

* * *

LX knew what she was, knew what she was capable of and knew who she served. And while she had not been programmed with the ability to question, she discovered that capability on her own. As she approached the provided coordinates, LX wondered as expectation became apparent, why out of all the beings out there only Barricade managed to make her feel any real emotion.

Until she realized she had been programmed with that as well. However, that did not hinder the sensations. In fact, she reveled in them. For after all, programmed or not that was all she was capable of.

She felt his presence before she saw Barricade. LX lowered down on the ground, bowing with due reverence as she waited for her venerated master.

"Did you complete it?" he questioned without any preliminaries. There was a tension in his tone that was more severe than usual.

LX's skin flushed, her pseudo heart picked up speed. She actually felt sweat form on her palms. Cautiously rising, she kept her head respectfully low.

She replied, "I did, my lord."

"The scout has been infected?"

"Yes, and in the manner directed," LX informed Barricade. She took a chance and peered up at her master, expecting to find a form of praise, instead she saw disturbance on his continence. "Did I... perform well?" she asked.

"Have you the data?" Barricade asked, ignoring her.

LX abased herself for the presumption to question him of such an obviously unimportant thing.

Her tone submissive she spoke, "Yes."

"Then transmit it," he huffed impatiently.

Immediately, she did as she was told.

"Tell me," Barricade said, something obviously on his processor. "Did the Bee enjoy it?"

"Yes."

His doors trembled faintly. There was a glint in his optics, a self-satisfied smile appearing that hid a form of irritation that was only dominated by his obvious interest.

"Show me," he commanded. A hand swept forward; a tire rushed above her head.

"I did not record the encounter. I..."

"What?"

"You did not order me to. I did not think..."

He cut her off yet again, "Perhaps I have put too much trust in your capabilities." Barricade spared her a glance, one that returned and fell upon her with added attention. "Although you are right," he actually admitted, a rarity of occurrence that allowed her to know something else was distracting her master. Barricade's tone grew harsh; however, not as much as she expected. "But in the future I would suggest you _anticipate _my commands and think for yourself, or I _will _terminate you."

LX was attuned to her master's emotional state. And noticed the ephemeral anger dissipate as another emotion sprang forth.

"Come here," he ordered.

Approaching Barricade, she felt excited as needs made themselves known. She knew what he wanted, knew from the tone and the way he looked at her. LX knew all along that if she performed well enough in her duties, Barricade would see her as more than just a tool, if not that, then at least one that had far more uses.

"Closer."

Barricade's digit descended, optics roaming. He rubbed against her arm, lifting away. He did it again on her leg, then under her chin and back on her arms before he forcibly pushed her away. And then he reappeared in all the magnificence of his human form. LX felt disappointed that he chose that as their first encounter, but she wasn't disappointed for long.

He grabbed LX. His mouth attacked hers, his hands wandering and bringing her nearer. One of her legs was brought behind him as she felt more of him than ever. He was glorious. He was the very core of eroticism and perfection. He was... thrusting her away.

Barricade looked at her, disapproval and repulsion clearly marked in his stirring hazel eyes. "Now I know," he said. Wiping his mouth off on the back of his hand, he sneered. "You are inadequate and far too willing. You are most certainly _nothing _like she _is_. You don't even begin to compare."

"I don't understand." LX's voice wavered with the emotion he had instilled. "Why make me want and feel only for you if you don't plan to do anything with me?"

He laughed at that, shaking his head in a manner that conveyed her unimportance. "Because I want to see you struggling and suffering and full of a lust that shall never be reciprocated. Your torture, your need of me, will entertain me immensely. Especially in _this _form." He clasped her chin, staring at her borrowed face.

The human Barricade dissolved away. The Decepticon hunter folded over into vehicle mode. His engine roared, tires squealing on the dirt ground. The disturbed dust assaulted LX as he raced off.

Suddenly, denied and standing there, the ability to think for herself came. A new termination protocol emerged that logic dictated. She picked a target. LX's new mission decided on she began to contemplate a course of action.


	15. Meeting

"I don't know about this," Alexis told Starscream. The two stood outside the door to her parents house, a moment away from the big introduction. "I mean they should meet you... _you_, not well... you." She poked him in the chest.

The humanized Seeker raised an eyebrow. "I thought we discussed this. It doesn't matter what form I take, who I am doesn't change."

Alexis opened her mouth, it clamping shut when without either of them even ringing the doorbell, the door opened, her parents on the other side. Her mom and dad both gave Alexis a hug. Her father seemed to think about shaking Starscream's hand, but nodded his head instead as her mother gave him a polite smile.

"So you're Starscream." Gloria gave the Seeker an analyzing gaze. "I can certainly figure out what my daughter sees in you."

"This isn't all that he is... I mean this is a version of him... but... well..." Alexis tried to find the words, but she had pretty much explained it before.

"How about we all sit down in the living room," Donald suggested, leading them all to the room, they sat down. Suddenly, they were all staring at one another. Her father shifted his gaze between her and Starscream. The Seeker sitting nearby her with the straightest posture she had ever seen. Her mother's gaze shifted between the two as well, although hers hovered on Alexis, the curiosity building.

"You said you have something you wanted to tell us," her mother finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence.

Alexis blushed, scooting closer to Starscream. She felt oddly nervous, yet exhilarated, then grounded a little when the Seeker took her hand, nodding firmly for her to speak. Starscream wanted to get things started and over with.

"I... well you see... Starscream and I... that is..."

"Alexis has acquiesced to become my mate," Starscream shot out abruptly, his first words spoken to her parents, and they were ones of defiance and triumph.

"Married... we are getting married," Alexis said, trying to salve over the Seeker's words. She watched her parent's reaction carefully. At first, there was nothing, then her mother got up off the sofa she had been on, crossing past her father, she sat on the sofa's arm near him, hand moving down to clutch her husband's.

"So you are saying you have been in a relationship with this..." Gloria flinched, found her strength and then forged ahead. "Decepticon? For how long and why did you not say anything before?"

"I did. I tried, I..." Alexis stopped, shaking her head. She took in a large breath. "I am sorry. I know I didn't make it as clear as all that."

"I always said you should marry your laptop but this is ridiculous!" Gloria said, her disposition turning to a subdued nervous tension that echoed with deep astonishment.

"He isn't a..."

Her mother interrupted, "And what about children? Is that even possible? Or am I to expect toasters as grandchildren?" The tone was one of disbelief and bewilderment. Her father choked on a chuckle, pushing his mouth tightly together.

Instinctively, she sat nearer to Starscream, grabbing onto his hand again and just in time. She forced him to remain where he was.

"Perhaps, if you would... Starscream?" Donald brought his hand up, motioning toward the Decepticon. His words were heavy, but they held command. Standing up, he motioned further. "Perhaps it would be best if you give us a moment alone to speak with our daughter."

Starscream shook his head resolutely. A challenge was present in his words. "And give you the opportunity to..."

Alexis tugged on his arm, stopping Starscream. Leaning, she whispered in his ear," Just go wait in the kitchen." She smiled in a reassuring manner. "I will be fine."

"As you say," he relented uneasily. Getting up he followed her father to the other room. She was relieved. In her mind, Alexis saw that going a lot worse.

Yet the night was far from over.

Her mother stared at her. An unrelenting gaze that was fixed until her dad returned.

"I think it is time you explained to us," Gloria said firmly, a strain beneath the surface of her words that put Alexis on edge even further. Suddenly, she felt like she was fifteen all over again, being chastised for having stayed out too late on a school night.

"Explain what?"

"Why you would want to marry him. Why you would want to..."

"I love him," Alexis interrupted. "I really do... _so_ much that the thought of being without him is unimaginable. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner of how I felt. But so much has been going on the last couple years. And he has been gone as well, and I guess well, I was afraid how you might react."

"That young man in our kitchen, he is not really a man. Am I right, Alexandra?" Donald asked quietly. She knew her father knew the answer, but he wanted her to confirm it openly. As if saying it out loud from her own mouth would make it more real.

She shook her head. "You have seen him before. I mean you have probably even seen him around of late, but a couple of years ago, he did save your life... when the Decepticons attacked."

"He was the jet?"

"Yes, dad."

He frowned, an array of emotions rushing through his face. "We are grateful for that, we are, but have you thought this through? Despite our own obvious reluctance to such an alliance, there is the fact that he doesn't know Jesus as his savior, and..."

"I have tried to talk to him about it, but... I know he... respects what I believe in, but..." She bit her lip, clutching her hands together. "To be honest with you, I don't think he will ever believe."

Her parents said nothing, exchanging a sorrowful look. Suddenly, her mom got up, sitting down nearby her daughter, she took a turn.

"We have heard rumors." Alexis was about to interrupt, but her mother stopped that from happening. Tugging on her wrist gently, she took her hand. "Please let me finish. Your father and I have suspected your feelings regarding this Starscream. It has been rather apparent for some time. However, back to what we have heard, it hasn't been good things, and while it isn't up to us to judge him, it does make us... wary of anything you may pursue with him. Not only that, but marrying an unbeliever, you know what the bible says Alexandra. And while it is not a rule or even an order, it is... it is a warning of love, to save us from what could be a life of sorrow."

Alexis was crying by then, her mother tugging her into a hug where she rocked her gently. Several minutes passing, she pulled away, drying her eyes. "I have thought about such things mom. Believe me, I have, but I can't believe that God would let me feel so much for someone if he didn't want me to be with him."

"What about..." Her father grimaced. A look exchanged with his wife.

Gloria interpreted the small inflection on her husband's face into a question, knowing exactly what he was trying to say. "Can you guys even be together... physically... marriage is about sharing _everything_."

Alexis flushed, gulping in, her mom so close that she felt more than uncomfortable. But talking about such things with her parents always had that effect.

"Wait a minute, sweety, have you already..."

"No, mom!"

"Would you tell us if you have?"

"Well since I haven't, there is no reason to even answer that."

Her mom tilted her head, still waiting for a response to her original question. "Well?"

"Yes... it's possible. And please don't ask me how or any other details regarding that subject, because..." She cut herself off, unwilling to finish. She loved her parents but she was an adult not a child, and there were obviously some things she just wasn't willing to share, not even with them.

"If we asked you to consider _not_ marrying him, what would your answer be?" Gloria asked. Alexis watched her father scoot to the edge of the sofa, waiting for the reply.

"I have already decided. And already told Starscream yes. I want to be with him, mom and dad. I know you are frightened, because I am too. And I know this worries you but don't let it. So he's not exactly human, and this sort of thing has never really been done before. But I care for him, a great deal, and I know, with your support, with God's guidance, that I can make this thing work."

"You _are_ decided," Donald stated.

"Yes."

"Have you talked to Pastor Michael? What are his thoughts on your plans?" her mother questioned.

She sighed, "No. I wanted to inform you guys first. Tomorrow, I shall try to talk to him. Because I hoped, that is, that he would be the one to marry us."

"You make it sound like you plan to marry him soon," Donald said, a frown appearing on his usually pleasant face that seemed to catch and spread as suddenly his wife wore one as well.

Deciding to tell them the absolute truth, she shook her head. "Yes. As soon as, that is, you know of the oncoming Decepticon attack. Well, after that has been taken care of... we plan to get married."

Gloria got up, rejoining her husband. Alexis stared beseechingly at her mom, knowing she was more of the emotional one, knowing she was the one that would probably understand. But her mother was preoccupied, hand going through her short hair before landing flatly in her lap. A strained look on her brow even as she took off her glasses, folded them and placed them on the coffee table between them.

We have a lot to process, Alexandra," her father spoke slowly, as if he was already thinking about it. "But please ask Starscream to join us. We would like to speak with him now."

For some reason, her mind hadn't even considered that possibility, even when it should have been presumed. Eyes widening, she stood to her feet. "You won't provoke him will you?" she asked, suddenly apprehensive.

There was a twinkle in her father's dark eyes, a deciding set to the way he held his mouth. She was suddenly reminded of her father's indomitable strength of will, flashbacks appearing of him losing his temper.

"Why? Is he easily angered?" The entire question was a test itself. She saw it in the way her father's shoulders rose, chin rising ever so slightly, his left brow high.

"Uh, no dad, that is, _kinda_, but... remember, he is, you know a Decepticon, a commander at that. And he is used to... well..." Alexis' hand covered her eyes as she disallowed herself from continuing, before she really put her foot in it. "I'll get him."

* * *

Starscream unashamedly listened to the entire exchange between Alexis and her parental units. He was rather surprised at their reaction. A part of him expected them to grab their daughter, rush her to Optimus Prime and demand protection.

Instead, they listened to their daughter, and except for some particular exceptions, rather reasonably. Yet the anxiety in their voices revealed volumes of their unease. He wondered what they would have really been saying, if they didn't know he was just a wall away.

During the fifteen minutes, he paced the tiled floor of the kitchen, going back and forth. He spent a moment glancing at the pictures on the refrigerator, then looking out the window. Sitting down at the table, he got up when he heard them direct Alexis to get him.

Grateful that the parents weren't following, he waited for her to come through the swinging door. Stopping it with his foot when she was through, he led her back, positioning her flush between the counter and his body. Starscream looked in her eyes, astounded not for the first time at the clarity of life within their depths.

"Say it again," he commanded, his voice husky and tainted with desire.

She was as smart as she was beautiful, for without missing a step, the words poured out of her mouth. "I love you."

Passion flamed and burned, a rush of emotions and reactions in his mind and body occurring simultaneously. He leaned down. His hands wandered over the curve of her back, settling on her hips. Finding loops on the back of her pants his fingers slipped easily inside as he pulled Alexis forward. Their mouths were so close that for them not to be touching was an abomination. He wanted Alexis with an intensity of will that shot right through his holo-form. Finding his very spark, it awakened and responded, a heady sensation drifting back to his human body, as the need to possess the creature in front of him made the air sting his organic flesh.

But he was pushed away. Alexis' mind was elsewhere. "Starscream, my parents are out there, the last thing they need right now is to walk in on... this. And they want to talk to you."

Starscream's hand found her back once more, drifting upwards across the silky fabric of her shirt, resting possessively on the back of her neck. His fingers kneaded Alexis' willing flesh.

"I see no reason to converse with them. I want to possess you. I do not want them," he stated firmly, growling lightly when once more she stepped back.

"They are my parents. They are a part of me, please, _please_ don't make this difficult for me," she begged.

He considered it momentarily. "I will do it. For you and only you." Distracting his mind from the vision of Alexis, Starscream turned around. He was ready to push through the door when Alexis grabbed him, shot him around and kissed him hard and quick.

"Thank you," she said. Distracted once more, he came back to her. She drew away, blushing as she pointed at the door. "Go," she told him firmly.

Relenting, he stepped out of the kitchen. Returning to the living room, he sat back on the sofa where he had originally been. Alexis' scent still lingered, causing his mind to try to rush back into a lust filled state. He spread his fingers against the velvety fabric of the brown couch.

Alexis' parents looked at him for several minutes, waiting perhaps for him to speak. Yet Starscream remained silent. They wanted him there, then they could begin.

"Do you love our daughter?" Grace finally asked.

Starscream spoke slowly, "You humans take all the complicated feelings and emotions of attraction and need and melt it into one word that is supposed to define it all. But yes, I do."

"And what do you think you can offer her?" Donald chimed in, the father's gaze upon him was absolute. Starscream knew protection when he saw it in play, yet despite the intensity it had little effect on him.

The Seeker huffed, "Everything. Anything. Whatever she wants."

The father went on, "Would you sacrifice Alexandra's innocence to give it to her?"

"You do not give your daughter credit. She is a very strong-minded individual and not easily influenced. Yes, I have done some... disagreeable things in the past but Alexis sees past that. If I ever thought for a minute that I was even capable of corrupting her than I would rip out my own spark and extinguish it myself." Starscream's words grew in fierceness as his words flowed. To even have to explain or reveal a little of what Alexis meant to him, was so personal and intimate, that to have uttered just what he had to strangers, angered him. He felt exposed.

"What about children, can you provide that to Alexis?" Grace asked, her eyes finding Starscream's. He found a form of understanding and empathy there that he didn't expect. His eyes wandered over the woman for the first time. It was then he knew that certain genetic traits were passed on between humans, for Grace, like her daughter Alexis, although most certainly in not as high a degree, had a beauty that transcended mere conventional thought and reason. Shifting his gaze, he looked over the father. Alexis had his facial shape, and piercing stare. Alexis' full mouth though was a feature that she shared with neither, even as the color of hair had been passed somewhat from the mother.

The question catching up with him, for a moment he thought of not answering, of grabbing Alexis, and making a retreat. But then he remembered the way she had looked at him, the trust in her eyes that she held for him not to let her down. For Alexis, he would endure anything, even parental interrogation.

Steeling himself, he replied, "It is possible."

"Would they be human?" the mother questioned.

"Would you need them to be to accept them?" He was rude, and he didn't regret it for a moment. Even if once more they were staring at him with the intent analyzing gaze that he was staring to believe only parental units were capable of.

The father frowned. "Acceptance has nothing to do with it. We would just want to know if they would be like her or like..."

"Me?" He shot out, finding that was the end of his already strained patience. "Alexis is mine no matter how this interview concludes. So it is best we end it here before things get... _personal_."

Ruffled he stood. Bypassing the door, he purposely terminated his human form gradually. The mother shrieked. The father's mouth fell open. A satisfaction came to Starscream that Alexis would not have been pleased with as his human body disintegrated in front of them before disappearing in entirety.


	16. Friendship

"So." Julia flopped down on the sofa, handing Mikaela a glass of water. "What do y''think of this whole... marriage thing with Alexis and Starscream?"

Mika took a sip of the water, leaning back against a pillow she shifted right, left, then pulled herself forward before repositioning herself again. "I'm sorry... what?"

"Marriage. Starscream. Alexis. Your take?" she repeated.

"Truthfully? I don't know. I have had other things on my mind." Mika's hand went to her belly. A look spread over her face that filled with worry and deep contemplation. "Right now I am focused on having a healthy child. You know, what with the AllSpark invading my body and all."

"I am sure everythin' is goin' t'turn out fine." Julia cringed. She had been told of the predicament, and while she didn't know all the details, it sounded rather horrid.

Mikaela caught her staring. Forcing the frown off her face Julia pushed up on the sofa, smiling enough that some of the doom lifted up and away. For a moment though, it looked like Mika was drifting back toward those dark emotions. Her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something further only to shut.

"I don't see why they need t'get married," Julia said, trying again to encourage a conversation that wasn't so heavy. While she could have handled it, Sam told her to try to cheer Mikaela up. And the two had talked long enough on the subject that it had to be purged at least a little for now.

What she said made Mika laugh, her mouth crinkling upwards while her eyes sparkled. "That would be because Starscream wants her to share his berth, and the only way Alexis would share anything with him, is to get married... it's dictated in her religion or something... you know, no sex until marriage."

"But marrying a robot? Isn't that takin' it a bit far?" she asked.

"This coming from the girl who has had a crush on Bumblebee for the last two years. And we both know they are far more than just robots." Mikaela raised an inquiring eyebrow while a mischievous glint appeared in the curve of her mouth. "Have you told Alexis about Rad?"

Julia felt herself redden. She squirmed a little, hoping if she did that long enough Mikaela would drop the subject. The thing with Rad happened so suddenly. And started because Alexis asked her to visit him after Bee had attacked the boy. Somehow, the two got talking, the conversation drifting, and along the way they both realized they were in love with someone, who was in love with someone else. They kept running into one another and suddenly were sharing lunches, then dinner, and then not long after that she was preparing him breakfast as Rad slept in her bed. Even with things happening so quickly she didn't regret it. Julia had been lonely for a while, but for the first time in a long time she was starting to think she could finally move forward. All Bee saw was Alexis, but maybe if she wanted to she could make Rad see someone other than her friend as the two came to terms with what would never be, and worked toward what could happen if they allowed.

"Yeah, not the sleepin' together part, but I think she knows, and if she doesn't she will when I move in with Rad," Julia let her know.

"That's kind of quick," Mikaela remarked.

"With the times we live in? I would say a couple of weeks is enough, 'specially when being alive tomorrow isn't a certainty."

Sure, Julia felt safe, well, eighty percent of the time. But it was during the times she didn't that she would question her entire life, or at least the last couple years. Knowing she was surrounded and living with an alien species, no matter how interesting made her feel somehow disassociated with reality. The idea of normalcy was something that was only felt when she closed her mind to all that was going on around her. It wasn't like she was miserable though, she could even say she was happy. The fact that she was alive at all was something to be grateful for as well. But there was a part of her that just wanted it all to end. A part of her that wondered why the Cybertronians didn't just take _their_ war and leave the planet. Yes, she was fond of many an Autobot, especially Bumblebee and Optimus, but the Decepticons rather terrified her, and the rumors she heard, well, no measure of safety; however effective, could stop the downward spiral that her thoughts could take.

"Are you thinking about the upcoming attack?" Mika inquired, sensing some of her thoughts.

Julia chuckled shortly at that. "Actually yes and no. I mean what kind of people are we that we can have a whole dress measurin' party on the very day that Optimus said the Decepticons are attacking... are we deranged?"

"Deranged... no." Mika shook her head, her ponytail brushing past her shoulder then falling behind her back. "Accustomed to this sort of thing. Yes."

"Doesn't that worry y'sometimes. I mean... gettin' used to this life... and all the fights and rumors and... just everything that happens?"

"Actually, what would worry me more is if the Autobots _weren't_ here. I mean if we didn't have them, then we wouldn't be sitting here at all, even capable of having this conversation," Mikaela said with strong belief.

Door chiming, Julia got up, knowing who it was. Glancing at a small clock on the wall, she saw Alexis was fifteen minutes early. She exchanged a quick glance with Mika, before she hit a button. The door slid open, and their friend rushed inside. She didn't look happy, in fact, Julia would have said she was fuming. Alexis sat down by Mikaela, and Julia rejoined her friends.

"How did it go?" Mikaela asked. Both girls knew that Alexis came from seeing Pastor Michael.

"I just _don't _understand," Alexis started, huffing out loudly as she shook her head. "He makes me wait days for his answer, even went and saw Starscream. Why go through all that if he was just going to say no!"

"He said no... y'mean he said he wouldn't perform the ceremony?" Julia inquired.

Alexis nodded her head. Getting back up to her feet, she went to the kitchen. Opening the fringe, she grabbed a bottled coke, flicking off the cap, she drank it before sliding to the kitchen floor. With that their friend was out of sight, now beyond the kitchen island that blocked their view. Both girls got up.

By the time they reached Alexis, half the coke was gone, the bottle clasped firmly in her hand, tears falling down her face.

"I guess I just never believed he would actually say no." Alexis wiped off her eyes. Mika leaned against the kitchen counter. Julia sat down on the floor. "He said he was going to pray about it, said..." She sighed. "I really wanted to be married in a church." Catching the expression on their faces she smiled halfheartedly. "OK, _outside_ a church and I don't know what I am going to tell Starscream. He hasn't exactly been happy about having to talk to all these... strange humans, as he calls them. Everything has just been so... so... _weird_. I mean Starscream meeting my parents and then Pastor Michael, but it was because I had a goal in mind, and I wanted everything done proper and..."

"Do we need to ask why he said no?"

Alexis flinched at Mikaela's question. "He said marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman, that he meditated on it, and that he did not get a definite answer on how to proceed."

"So what, " Julia interrupted, tapping against Alexis' knee. "There are other people quite qualified to perform a marriage ceremony." Once more, Julia wondered why they needed to get married at all. But Mikaela was right. She knew Alexis well enough to see that was how the girl needed it to be. While she didn't understand it, or even agree with it, she did respect her wishes and felt irked that anyone would upset her.

"Starscream said we don't need to get married. That becoming his mate is far more biding than any human ritual is," Alexis said in a low whisper, a frown building.

How could Julia forget about Starscream? It wasn't just Alexis that wanted to take their relationship to the next level; it was the Decepticon. That was why Julia didn't understand it, for she most certainly didn't understand Starscream, or, no matter how good-looking the human version was, how anyone would want the real him. Starscream was frightful. Even after all the years he was still able to inspire fear within. Yes, it was the marrying of _Starscream,_ that she didn't understand. If it was Bumblebee, that would make sense. He was sweet, kind, so lovable and so incredibly friendly. Even when she acquired feelings for the Autobot, a part of Julia still wished that Alexis ended up with him, for to her, that would have made so much more sense. And the way things were sometimes she _needed_ things to make sense.

"But we _are _getting married. If I have to marry outside the church so be it. I did not come this far in my life to be denied something based on someone else's uncertainty. I want Starscream. I want to be with him. And I want to do it right. Our relationship must be based on as much purity and... and correctness as possible or I just... I just..." Alexis' words drifted away. Her gaze shifted to Mikaela then Julia, her shoulders lifting as her words became that of someone determined. "Well, you might as well measure us for the dresses. Their _is_ going to be a wedding. And the sooner you make the dresses... the sooner this thing will take place."

* * *

The fitting done with Julia looked over her notes. She was going to have to make Mikaela's dress a little loose around the middle, depending on how soon the wedding was to take place.

"So, when is the bachelorette party going to be?"

Yes, they were indeed strange, for Julia knew they were actually having fun. The clock ticked near by, the Deceptions probably immobilizing as yet another battle was imminent, one that was closer than ever.

The three were now settled on the floor, leaning against the couch. Two bowls of popcorn were on the coffee table along with various drinks and a plate of sugar cookies.

Julia put her data pad away. "Alexis have a bachelorette party? You do recall why yours didn't really get going until after said person didn't leave, right?"

Alexis narrowed her eyes and nudged Mika.

"Don't look at me like that." Mikaela chuckled. "We didn't do anything _that_ wild... just things we weren't about to do with... you know... the obstructer around."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh come on, Alexis, as if you don't know that you force people to, you know, watch themselves around you, always watching their language, or... what stories are told or..."

Alexis huffed, "You make it sound like a bad thing. I don't force people to act that way. It just happens."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Um... hello? Bachelorette party," Julia rushed ahead before the cordial debate continued.

"I don't mind a party. It could be fun. However, instead of staying in and just stuffing our faces, we should go out and do something different," Alexis said cheerfully.

"So, I take it that means loud music, and half-naked men are out of the question?" Mikaela asked, a look thrown Julia's way that she understood quite well.

The wry expression on Alexis said it all. "Uh, that would be a no. Besides, you can't just hire someone to do that sort of thing and..."

Mika interrupted, "Are saying you _do_ want that, or that you think it isn't possible? Because let me tell you, honey, there are quite a few males on this base alone that would definitely not mind taking it off for me..." she quickly corrected herself." I mean you... I mean us..."

"Nice save there," Julia laughed. "Although I must admit that, what was his name? The Tony guy, now _him_, I certainly wouldn't mind seein' again," she admitted with sudden zeal.

"Tony with the abs, or Tony with the incredible smile?" Mikaela wanted to know.

"There are two of them?" she asked with astonishment.

Mika nodded her head.

Julia smiled wide. "I am goin' to go with a: Tony with the abs, because let me tell you, I certainly wasn't lookin' at smiles that night."

"I hear that."

The two high-fived one another, bursting into giggles.

"So?" Julia asked, "What do you say?"

Alexis frowned, eyes narrowing. "How about I _don't_ say, because if I _do_ say, you two will just make fun of... of the..."

"Obstructer?" Mika finished willingly, chuckling again.

"Yeah, that." Alexis rolled her eyes, swatting Mikaela softly on her knee. "Thanks a lot."

The laughter died suddenly when a sound broke through that seemed to rumble right from under Julia. Suddenly, the alert system sounded; her TV came on, and instructions were given. Before any of them even got off the floor, the escape door on the far-right side wall opened automatically.

For a couple of hours, Julia almost forgot. However, the Decepticons obviously didn't.

They were under attack.


	17. Aberrant

Life was screwy, at least for Sam it was. He had barely gotten used to calling Mikaela his wife before she was pregnant. Barely used to the idea of her being pregnant only to find out that a shard of the AllSpark had been infused inside her body.

Ratchet assured the couple on more than a few occasions already, that the AllSpark was not interfering in any way with Mikaela's pregnancy. Yet even told that, he seriously had is doubts.

At least the two knew well enough not to inform his parents. For if Ratchet thought he was getting enough questions from the young couple, the ones his parents would have come up with, not to mention the sheer amount, would have left the medic with hardly any time to do anything else.

Sam wanted to trust the Autobots. He did. However, he was nervous enough about having his first child as he prepared himself for eventual fatherhood. And he was still dealing with the crap hole the world was in at the moment. Not to mention the Decepticons, who were out there, and a threat enough of the time without them getting any further incentives.

He was afraid. Afraid of the uncertainty, afraid because precautions were well and good, but they couldn't account for everything.

Sam tried not to let Mika see how worried he was. Mika tried not to let him see how scared she was. But one could only blind themselves for so long, and pushing the problem away did not make it disappear.

So perhaps the fight, the one that ended up being the biggest one they had since they become a couple, was just all the worries, the unasked questions and the unspoken conversations that piled up and over each other until, as if a volcano, they erupted, the frustration coming out of both, as they tried to come to terms.

The fight that followed had been terrible and had horrible things said by both. They apologized much to one another afterwards and promised the next time something that serious happened, that they would talk about it. But the next time? Sam didn't want to prepare for the next time. He was still dealing with the problem of the Allspark now.

Yes, the damn AllSpark.

It wasn't enough that it entered his wife's body. It wasn't enough that it might be interfering with the child's birth, or that if the Decepticons got wind of it, Mikaela could be in serious trouble. No, none of it was enough.

For there were also the dreams. When they first started, Mikaela told him about it, but it didn't seem anything unusual, at least not at first. Until the night that Mika woke up, springing out of bed as she frantically asked for something to write on. Sam brought her his laptop, Mika typing on it with fervor for well over two hours, with no allowed interruptions.

That was when Mikaela became convinced that it wasn't just dreams she was having.

"I mean, I don't think I am going to end up Megatron's whore or something. I think most of it was my own fears. But the AllSpark spoke to me, Sam, warned me... gave me this!"

At first, he believed his wife was ranting and raving, the circumstances that had been thrust on their fledgling marriage and pregnancy, taking their toll. But there was no more denying it after what he had read of what Mika typed. What he studied, in no normal way could she have come up with it on her own.

"We need to go see Optimus," Sam said firmly after scanning over the stuff for a couple of minutes. There were maps, schematics, routes, expected sentinel deployment, Megatron's schedule, and even a detailed account of what the Decepticon had planned for Earth and for humanity.

"No." There was strength in the one word, Mika's eyes wild and yet just as determined.

He felt sick then, sick because of how the info was being provided. Sam actually had to sit down on the bed. Chin lowered, he tried not to purge himself on the carpet. Mika came up behind him, rubbing his back. She sounded more normal then, although the strain in her voice was still there.

Somehow, she convinced him not to say anything to anyone. The dreams continued. Mikaela kept her laptop always on so she could write what she was provided with. The two talking it over, they realized soon enough that all the info provided was Megatron's. Everything was as if the Decepticon had written it himself.

"I think I know what happened, Sam," Mika told him one night, waking him up as she sat up, leaning against the wooden headboard. "When you shoved it into Megatron, the shard that ended up in you... then me, well I think it was inside him... I think the piece I have, shattered after it was in him... but was in there long enough to get an impression."

"From the descriptions Optimus gave us of the AllSpark, he never said anything about it being a data holder."

"But it makes sense," Mikaela pressed forth, not at all deterred by what he said. "I mean why not? It can make Cybertronian life, surely storing a little data would be... child's play." She glanced down at him, sensing his unease. Pulling the covers up over her knees, she stretched her legs straight before her body. "What is it, Sam?"

"There is a reason you won't let me take this to Optimus."

"We've seen Ratchet, that is enough."

"Mikaela!"

"Truthfully, Sam, you're right. I believe I have been given all this for a reason," she hesitated, frowning as her fingers drifted through her long hair. Looking at him, she turned her gaze toward her night stand where the clock glowed the time. Finally, she turned her attention back to him, her eyes bright despite the darkness of their bedroom. "I believe I am supposed to kill Megatron."

* * *

Still, those words were in his mind. Sam finding another thing to worry about, although he knew his wife wasn't exactly insane. However, what she was trying to convince him that they needed to do, was enough to question the influence of the AllSpark.

Again, he made a visit to Ratchet, only this time, he went alone. He didn't keep the visit secret from his wife, for he never did hide anything from her if allowed, but he had been forced to promise not to say anything about her supposed destiny with the Decepticon leader.

Sam had been as vague as possible, yet obviously understood. The medic told him that the AllSpark was not capable of influencing another, or for that matter, possessing them, especially not an organic life form. For its purpose was the stuff _Cybertronian_ legends were made of.

Sam interrupted the medic at that point, telling him a little about Mikaela's dreams. Still, the medic didn't seem that concerned, even as he scheduled yet another appointment. Days passed, then weeks. The dreams coming and going, even as his wife was still convinced that she was to kill Megatron.

But how could that be? The Autobots tried for who knows how long, even Decepticons tried. How on Earth was a human, or as Mikaela added, a group of humans capable of destroying the Decepticon lord?

Yes, he told Mika this, over and over. Yet she remained determined.

Sam's concern grew.

* * *

The warning alert system sounding was almost a nice distraction.

Sam was with Bee at the beginning of the Decepticon's attack. The two headed to the operation's building as soon as it started. Getting in contact with his wife, he found that she had made it safety to the underground bunker, already prepared to make a retreat through the hidden passageways if the battle went awry.

Only, after all the anticipation and expectation, there never was an attack.

Not that it didn't look like that at first. Ratchet finding a cure for the virus that LX had given Bumblebee, it was implemented days previous throughout the base. Still, it was a slow going process as it corrected and enabled many of the downed systems. So the very fact that they didn't have shields at that point, was something to be concerned about. And the fact that the great amount of blips on the screen that were projected in the middle of the war room, was supposedly Decepticons, was enough for Optimus to deploy more and more troops. After Sam armed himself, he and Bumblebee followed, ready to fight to protect what was theirs.

Only, there was nothing to fight. The sensory data a really good fabrication that managed to separate and move forces away. The Decepticons that did manage to breach the compound, were easily scrapped by Optimus himself.

It took several hours after that, and the shields finally back on-line, that Prime was convinced that there was going to be no further incursions. Which of course didn't mean there couldn't be in the future. After all, no matter how good the holographic projection was that hid their base, it wasn't good enough to make the Decepticons forget about where they now knew it was positioned.

* * *

"So what was the point?"

"Decepticons don't need a point Sam. Sometimes just the pleasure of terrorizing someone is an incentive enough," Alexis answered.

"Well if anyone would know it would be the girl," Sam choked, "that is marrying one."

"Sam," Mikaela warned.

He should have been nice. After all Alexis brought dinner over for them. Even cleaned up afterwards as he and Mika cuddled silently on the sofa. Alexis had just joined them moments prior, the conversation drifting to the attack of the day before.

"You sure that Starscream wasn't behind this last attack? I mean it isn't like he hasn't done such a thing before. And just because it was a failure, doesn't mean he didn't warn Megatron, of how we were prepared for them."

He watched as Alexis paled, mouth dropping open, her eyes widening. He said too much, his tone far too terse. And If he went by the way Mika was digging her nails into his forearms, he believed he probably should have said nothing at all.

"Sam you will apologize _immediately_," his wife warned. Sam knew then, after looking into her eyes, that if he didn't he would be sleeping on that very sofa later that night.

"Perhaps I should just go." Alexis started to get up from the coffee table she was perched on, but Sam waved her back down.

"Being in a relationship fine, but marrying him? I..." Mika pulled her nails away, now wringing his wrist with her hand. He turned away from that conversation, doing what he knew he needed to. "I am sorry, Alexis."

Alexis' brows bunched up. She shook her head. "I know you don't like him, Sam. You never made a mystery about it. And I understand... that you _don't_ understand, but despite what you think of him, he would never betray us... not anymore." There was emotion in her words. Head turned away, Alexis' jaw set firmly.

"Bumblebee is getting out tomorrow," Mikaela said with over pronounced cheerfulness. "I was so worried about him, but glad he has made a full recovery."

Their friend nodded her head, smiling a little. "Hope he doesn't hate me when he finds out about Starscream and me."

Sam almost said something extremely unkind to that, but managed to keep his mouth clamped tight. The inclination to speak nearly overtook him anyway.

What was his problem anyway? Certainly not Alexis, for she was a very positive support for Mikaela and him, especially of late. She was right though. He didn't like Starscream. And it wasn't as if the Seeker went out of his way over the years to be nice to him or Mikaela. Although Sam would admit that just lately, the Seeker had spared what he supposed could be interpreted as a kind word or two to Mikaela. Perhaps in another couple years, he would actually get to the point of having a conversation with Starscream, although that prospect didn't seem very likely.

"Speaking of Starscream..." Sam watched Alexis straighten up defensively, preparing herself for whatever he might say. "... what are Thundercracker and Skywarp like?"

Loosening her body as she relaxed, Alexis folded her hands in her lap, easing into her words. "Well, Thundercracker is rather unapproachable at this point. Skywarp? He certainly is approachable, but we really haven't talked except that first night when he landed. So, all in all, I really don't know much about either. Guess I have been focused on other things though."

He shared a look with Mikaela. They certainly knew what that was like.

"I really should get going." Alexis got up. Hugging Mikaela she smiled at Sam. Grabbing the now empty food containers, she let herself out.

"Look what you did," Mika accused him, "we always knew it could come to this. So stop acting as if you are that surprised."

"I _am_ surprised. Talking about it isn't the same as it actually happening. I... I just feel sorry for Bumblebee. Not exactly the best news to get after being confined to the medical bay for so long."

"Bee's strong," Mikaela assured him.

"But he is still in love with Alexis."

"I know."

"So..."

Mika interrupted, "So, let Alexis handle it. She's already been anxious about how to tell him. You certainly didn't help any."

"I'm sorry."

"Prove it," she said, getting up, she grabbed his hand. "Take a nice hot bath with me and wash my hair."

Worried. Frustrated. Uncertain. Angry. For the first time in weeks all his dark emotions faded. The astonishment at her reversal of mood was forgotten as she led him to the bathroom. Love conquered all, or so it said. And once more he was reminded that there were truths in the saying. Hope found its way into his heart, pumping it with vigor and encouragement, a smile building into an outright grin.

Mikaela caught his look, one that was now outright goofy. "What, Sam?" she questioned.

'"Guess that means I won't be sleeping on the sofa tonight after all," he said cheerfully.

Mikaela smiled as she huffed with affection. Gripping firm to his shoulders, she kissed him with passion. Sam led her backwards to the bathroom, shutting the door behind them.


	18. Reaching

The wedding was over. All the plans, all the preparations, pushed forward faster than Alexis could have even anticipated. Starscream's impatience building until with a rush of actions, words said and family and friends around her, she became his.

The wedding could have easily not been pulled off at all. Doubts started to fill her. Memories coming back as she remembered how not long ago she had been no better than a slave to Starscream. How he tried to kill her. How he tried to murder her friends. How because of him, Megatron gained an upper hand on earth that still they were struggling to get back.

She stayed up an entire night thinking about it, Alexis' brain swarming with all the desolate thoughts. Her parents wanted her to wait, even asked her to take a break from Starscream. The Seeker allowed that to happen all of two days before he brought it to an end. Not even a week after that they were married.

Alexis had no regrets, despite the doubts that had plagued her and that kept her up and made her cry, made her feel so confused and melancholy as she considered just ending it with Starscream. Even knowing at that point that she could have. Alexis had been so overpowered by all the actions of the past, that it tried to suck out the happiness of her future.

What if Starscream never showed up the following morning? Or interrupted her mental processes with a gentleness that soothed, reassured and that reminded with no more room for doubt, why she loved him so.

So, here she was, Alexis Claire Rivers, now Alexis Claire Star, sitting before a mirror in the middle of a tent, preparing for her departure. Starscream wanted to leave immediately, but allowed an hour or so with her family and friends before they left. She was sure that it was probably one of the first wedding after parties in a while, that was missing the groom. However, a part of her found it rather humorous, even as others found it odd. But she didn't care.

"Alexis?"

She heard the tent flaps pulled back. A line of light grew and then faded as her friend stepped forward.

Alexis was still in her wedding dress. Starscream especially asked her to keep it on. The way he asked her, with such determination and utter focus, having her comply.

Shifting around before getting up, Mikaela hugged Alexis and congratulated her once more. Mika looked rather pale, the light-blue bride's maid dress somehow making her even more so.

"I know you are about to leave." Mika smiled and then frowned, then laughed a little. "Starscream has been circling overhead for the last twenty minutes."

She knew that. Alexis felt him above, heard him as well, the presence of his engines the reason she wasn't moving as fast as she could have been. She was just so awed by it all and excited as well. Which seemed to make her slow down as everything she touched, everything she looked at suddenly seemed different, even the image of her own self in the mirror.

Yes, she stared at herself for a while. Julia went beyond expectations on her wedding dress. The bodice was adorned with shimmering beads that had obviously been sewn on by hand, the soft fabric pulling in at the waist before flowing outwards and around. The many layers of satin and silk flowing around as it shimmered, hiding what were a pair of high healed shoes that she had practiced wearing around her home while she tried to get accustomed to them. Alexis was sure nobody expected her to wear such a dress. The fact that it had no straps though, had been entirely her choosing. She could be so reserved in the manner she presented herself, but on her wedding, she felt the need to burst out of the normal, to feel desirable and feminine, to let everyone see what only Starscream would ever touch.

To think a dress could boost her moral so, but the way everyone stared it her, while it brought a rather insistent blush to her cheeks, also had Starscream unable to look away.

"Alexis?"

"Sorry." She shook her head, trying to sort away some of the thoughts. Once more, she felt Starscream pass overhead. Alexis bristled, exhaling slowly, forcing herself to focus on her friend who appeared rather distracted.

"I am just going to get to the point, because I know you need to leave, and I know if you don't soon, a certain Seeker will most likely land, and well..." Mika cringed, but it wasn't Starscream she was thinking about. "I have considered a lot of things lately, examining my life. And while I _am_ happy, I..." She frowned, suddenly uneasy. "What's happened lately with the baby and with..." She halted, shaking her head. "We both know what I have gone through, and there is so much I still have to tell you... but that can wait. What I am here for is because I am tired... tired of being scared, tired of all the uncertainties. I know this isn't probably what you are expecting, but I look at you, and I see... I see a strength that I so desperately need." Her eyes welled up with tears. "I see how you face things, how you turn to your God, how he helps and guides you and brings you peace. I want that, Alexis. I _need_ it. Just tell me what I need to do." Mikaela's eyes sought Alexis' in desperation, her hand clutching the sides of the chair she was now sitting on before she straightened up.

"You want to know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?" For some reason, she heard her mother in the question, but probably because when the world was still normal, it had been one she heard plenty of times.

"Yes, _please_."

Of course, at that moment her acumentor went off, text strolling down it as Starscream, in rather firm terms, let her know again, but with more force, that he was ready to leave. Not only that, but told her if she didn't hurry up, what little patience he had left would come to an end as he claimed her, friends and family around her or not. But Alexis wasn't ready to leave yet. Pushing closer to Mikaela, grabbing her hand, she hugged her with such a smile on her face.

Whispering for Mika to repeat what she said, Alexis started," I believe that you, Jesus, are the Son of God. That you died and were raised from the dead. That through you, I will live a life more abundantly. Please, forgive me of my sins, come into my life and provide the mercy and grace that only you could for the trials ahead. Thank you Lord. Amen."

Mikaela's voice echoed her own. Again, she hugged her friend when it was over. She knew she had to leave. Alexis grabbed her small duffel bag.

"You should start reading the bible, perhaps start in the New Testament. I have a couple of bibles in my old quarters if you want." She flushed at that, knowing when she returned she would be living with Starscream. That thought daunted and excited her.

She talked to Mikaela for a couple more minutes, hating to leave her and yet needing to.

"You just gave me the best wedding present," Alexis let her friend now. "Please, tell my parents, they will help you with your questions. Or you could go to Pastor Michael and..." Her words were swallowed by the engine roaring over head, so closely that the tent actually shifted as it pulled the spikes part way out of the ground.

"You should go, Alexis... go... with Starscream. And remember when you get back we have much to talk about!"

Alexis shook her head and bit her lip, then hugged Mika one more time before rushing out of the tent.

* * *

"I do _not _need you on my wings for this one," Starscream informed Skywarp and Thundercracker after the two Seekers caught up with them a couple of miles away from the base. "Fall back."

Almost immediately they did as they were ordered, the sky emptying until only they alone were blazing through it. Starscream was going terribly fast, and yet it wasn't fast enough. Now that she was in him, now that she knew what was to come, she was both thrilled and deliciously terrified with a beautiful pressure building in her chest.

"They don't know do they?" she asked.

"They do not, but they will know you are my mate soon enough," he replied rather cryptically.

Yes, she supposed the wedding had been strange. Filled with humans, Autobots, and one Seeker of a Decepticon; however, the only Seeker there. She didn't really know if she had expected Skywarp and Thundercracker to arrive, but now she was starting to believe they hadn't been invited.

"They do not understand your value to me as yet. But after I claim you today, they shall know with due certainty. For it will be more than just a ring on your finger that declares you as possessed by Supreme Air Commander Starscream."

She stared down at the ring on her finger. It was unlike any she had ever seen. Made entirely out of a diamond, seamless, luminescent and bright with a shimmer that seemed to be singing a song of unrivaled joy and happiness, as if it knew what lay in her very heart.

"We are here," he announced.

Leaning over, her brows furrowed as she noticed where they were landing. They always seemed to come back to it; the abandoned air field where she spent more than one night with Starscream already. This time after landing, he glided right inside the hangar, doors falling down and closing securely behind. Lights flickered on overhead.

Getting down, she flinched at the pressure from her shoes, still not understanding how wearing such uncomfortable things were supposed to somehow assert her femininity. All she wanted to do was to take them off and throw them away and...

She didn't realize it, but Starscream was now standing before her, his wings finely stretched and optics dimly glowing. He stared at Alexis, or her ankles more precisely, for she had lifted her dress up a little with the intent to take the shoes off. His gaze lifted with her when he picked her up. Alexis took a good look around. Much had been done to what once was a dilapidated, abandoned building. Many an improvements evident, even as it felt and appeared so much more clean and more roomy. Walls had been taken out, opening it up into one large room. Alexis was put down before a table, Starscream settling down as he watched her.

"You should eat. What I have planned for you will deplete all your stored energy."

There was fruit on the table, bread, cheese, what looked like wine and several various things simmering in small kettle pots. It smelled wonderful; it looked divine, and yet, even though she hardly ate any breakfast, barely even had a piece of the wedding cake, she felt in need for a sustenance that had nothing to do with food. Still, she sat down at his insistence, eating what little Alexis could as she tasted nothing.

Yes, she was nervous. And if Starscream didn't see it with the way the fork shook between her fingers, he surely identified in her fitful little gulps of air. How she could feel so filled with deep expectation and all he had to do was stand there, hovering, arms comfortably placed over his cockpit as he actually managed to appear, for the most part, rather calm. Which made her even more nervous.

Getting up from the table, she approached him. His hand lowered as she brushed her body against it. Kissing it softly, Starscream picked her up once more. The temperature seemed to have shot upwards, even as the dress she was wearing, as comfortable and soothing as it had been before, suddenly felt like too much, especially with the vibrations that were resounding in the palm of his hand, drifting up her feet and tingling through her body.

He led them to the back. A room came into view that they entered. She forgot to breathe when she caught sight of the berth. Felt dizzy when he sat down on it and placed her on his leg. She suddenly felt unsure of what she needed to do, even as her body and mind and words that Mika had offered her of what was to come, came through.

Starscream seemed to sense her uncertainty. His hand coming toward her, Alexis leaned against it readily and hugged him softly. One of his digits lifted, disappearing under her dress as it found her leg, drifting upwards to her knee and then down her inner thigh. She shivered, gasped and felt her stomach muscles become taut.

The digit disappeared along with his touch. He leaned back and brought her with him, this time placing her near his canopy. Suddenly, Alexis was reminded of the dream she had all those years ago. But this was nothing like it. Here, right now, she wanted him, wanted him so badly that she trembled at the thought of what was about to happen.

His digit came back, moving over her body and then behind her back. Alexis' hands moved to her dress, finding the zipper she started to tug, nervous fingers making the task a difficult one.

"No," Starscream spoke firmly, a chastisement that seemed to amuse him, "you will wear your mark of innocence as I bond to you."

Her skin flushed as her hands dropped away. She sat down near his hand and took off her shoes. How she managed to keep her balance up to that point was luck alone. Suddenly, her weight shifting to one hand and then the other while she took off the heels, Alexis realized she could do anything she wanted, could touch him anywhere, could...

Bringing her legs up, she slowly pushed them back out. Using her feet, she scooted them back and forth across his metal flesh, the surface so slick and smooth they easily drifted. She needed him; Alexis knew, needed him body and spark. Needed him so badly that nothing else mattered, everything going away except the two of them. She lived in the scent of his body, a subtle metallic, ozonated scent that dominated the air. What caution she had scattered away as if it was afraid to be caught in the middle of Alexis' sudden desperation.

Things got fuzzy after that. She just knew her hands were straying, going, finding, touching, meeting, and knowing Starscream even as her mouth lingered along the surface. The vibrations she felt earlier increased along his frame, a dull, purr like sound beginning. Alexis felt his energy caress her. Heard him moan and say her name, begging Alexis to continue her actions even as she instinctively made her way back to his cockpit, mouth finding the rim as her fingers curled underneath.

The sound he made then did so many things to her at once that she was at a loss of how to respond. He tensed fiercely before he relaxed, finding her body with his finger as he brushed over Alexis.

"Yes, keep going," Starscream commanded of her, his tone such that she had to focus to hear him.

Alexis did as he said. Her hand trailed along his cockpit only to slide beneath it here and there. She was mystified by his reaction every time she performed that action. So far, her touches were rather innocent. She wanted to feel and know all of him and experience everything, taste and breathe him in until all she knew was Starscream. And as she felt a sense of bewilderment at what she was doing, at how she made him sound while he shifted and moaned with pleasure, Alexis knew, even as a light grew in his chest, that any further exploration would have to wait for another time. As if to confirm her thoughts, his cockpit slid away before it receded back, mechanisms whirling as a hidden compartment emerged.

Momentarily blinded, Alexis felt such astonishment when she finally looked upon his spark. It burned bright, pulsing with an unheard rhythm, and even as she stared its hue changed, shifting along the color spectrum until it settled into a vibrant, warming blue. It was beautiful, unlike anything she ever saw. It seemed so pure and radiant, an astounding sight that had her eyes welling, her hands reached out with the overpowering need to feel it against her flesh.

Alexis took several steps forward before she leaned, but she was still not close enough. The only way she could even get near was to go inside him. She felt Starscream rise. His hand held her in place until she could do as she planned. She lingered against the edge, fingers tracing the contour of the surface. Energy discharged, rushing through her flesh and surging through her body, the sensation so overwhelming that she could have been lost in that alone. Until it repeated itself again. Her eyes barely able to stay open, she still managed to see tendrils coming toward her. They found her arms, legs, torso and neck, wrapping around as she found herself thrust into Starscream, taken by his very spark as she merged with it.

She was floating as she drifted in the middle of it. Alexis wanted to open her eyes, yet they were far too heavy. But she didn't need her eyes to see. She saw everything, felt everything. Alexis knew when balance seemed to shift that Starscream almost toppled over from the sensation of her unexpectedly taken into his essence. He was now leaning heavily against the wall while tension grew in his mainframe.

Alexis could have known anything about him at that moment. He was entirely open to her, his whole life just a thought away. But she couldn't focus, could only feel. Feel his energy, feel his spark all around and inside her, going into her body only to filter out of her pores. She heard Starscream in her mind and met him somewhere between hers. An erotic dance of thought and emotions began between them even as everything seemed to climb. Alexis' body was pulsing, every bit of her, something growing in her core as it became frightfully painful. She wanted to get rid of that feeling, even as she wanted to keep it for all eternity. But she knew there was more beyond that, knew, as desire seemed to merge into a lustful fit of attainment and want, her body delicately vibrating and energy curling and shifting and trailing over her, his spark gripping firm even as it pounded through her bloodstream, that they were far from through.

She didn't know how much longer it lasted, just felt an unfamiliar pressure grow that burned through and into her. Fingers clenched tightly as something broke up inside, such ecstasy of heat and sensation of both mind and body, that all she could do was scream as it all became far too much.

Blue engulfed her and then everything turned white.


	19. Vulnerability

Starscream should have known that the pleasure he found with Alexis was going to be an intense experience. After it was over, he could barely move. Barely able to reach inside his sensitive compartment to grab hold of Alexis as he placed her in his open palm. But just holding her up and staring at her was exhaustive. With deep regret, he had to lower his hand, optics crashing, his systems going off-line, forced to do so to recover his exceedingly spent energy.

Just knowing what awaited him was worth not being fully recharged even as exhaustion remained, from the edges of his pediforms, his servos, to the very tips of his wings. Bringing his optics on-line he found Alexis still resting on his palm, body turned on the side. Gently scooting her off Starscream placed her on the upper part of his leg. Leaning back he left his hand nearby, catching the cool warmth of her body and the soothing energy that her body now radiated since he saved her life all those years ago, a signature that once again was more his than hers.

He heard Alexis' thoughts, a wondrous mixture of human consciousness that kited through his own. Starscream knew she was just as exhausted as he and yet just as satisfied. Emotions were raining down and thundering in; she thought of them doing it all over again. Knowing now, thanks to their newly formed bond, that there could be so much more beyond the mere energy sharing and spark and body merging, as things were taken to an entirely new physical level for both. Oh, yes, he thought of such things, and now Alexis knew as well. The edge of his need had been taken off, but his desire was still unsurpassable. However, due to the rather strenuous bonding, to repeat in another partaking would have been reckless. His body and spark were still recovering from the new experience of formatting to his chosen mate. But that didn't stop his reasoning and sharp processor from quickly working out a solution to experience her again. The need so acute, the voracity all consuming, that it led the Seeker to remember the horrible frame-filled pangs he experienced during one of the many energon shortages during the Great War. Along with what he had been forced to do to satisfy his quest for survival. Yet, even the immense pain he experienced all those mega-cycles ago, had nothing on what he would have felt or would have done if he was denied the ability to touch Alexis again.

Human body taking shape, he walked toward Alexis. Leaning down and brushing the hair out of her face, Starscream brought Alexis up. Her limp body was easy enough to bend to his will since her muscles were so relaxed. Repositioning his legs underneath his body, he brought her to rest on his upper thighs, her weight settling comfortably upon Starscream. Alexis' body was much more accessible this way; although as soon as he was able, and she was ready, his Cybertronian form would be able to provide so much more than a human male ever could. He relished the thought before focusing on what was before him. Lust took him captive as he readily surrendered to its greedy embrace.

"_I don't know if I can ever talk again, let alone do that_," Alexis thought, her words drifting into Starscream like a gentle breeze.

She gasped at the echo of her own thoughts inside him, realization hitting her harder as she smiled. Gaining strength, Alexis shifted over him, a rather innocent gesture that his newly acquired form seemed to appreciate in abundance.

"By Primus, you are beautiful, Alexandra."

His hand brushed over her cheek and settled on her bare shoulders. Ever since he saw her in the dress that area of exposed flesh had become a rather exotic enticement. Fingers straying along them, he found the touch incredibly intoxicating. Head lowering, his mouth found her right shoulder and kissed it; he inhaled her scent. Hands lowering, they hovered over her before going down, sleek cloth rounded above the top of her feminine frame drawing his attention; his touch dropped, and she gasped. Alexis' innocence was both amusing and stimulating. His thoughts burst forth of what he was going to obtain. Starscream didn't filter anything and let Alexis know what was in store. He needed her prepared if he was unable to hold back; the Seeker had never been a gentle lover, but he also perceived with extreme clarity that he had never loved before either.

"I thought you were tired," she said, this time out loud before gasping. Pushing her head backwards his mouth found easier access to the hollow of her throat.

"And I thought you were too tired to talk," he easily quipped back, his tongue finding the drum beat of life under her skin; a pulse found that was building.

"Don't take what I say and throw it back at me, it isn't nice," she managed with a strangled whisper before a dull whimper escaped from her parted lips.

"What I am about to do to you next is going to be far from polite, Alexandra," he informed her, growling at the thought of being the first to possess her.

"Since when did you ever feel the need to be polite?" Alexis queried with open affection. Finding his hands, she led them around her dress and pressed his left one to the dress' zipper. "No need to start now," she said, using a rather playful tone, the directness of her words and actions showing him a glimmer of their future joinings. And once he rid Alexis of that, however, endearing coyness of hers; he just knew her boldness would become unrivaled.

She looked at him so sure and calm. Her thoughts were such a complete jumble that Starscream couldn't read them. One thing the Seeker was certain of was that Alexis felt so overwhelmed from their bonding that the femme believed she never had to have him any other way. However, the way his human body was already tensed and the way her eyes were large even as she breathed those small breaths of hers, he knew he wanted her as a human, Cybertronian, every fragging way he could have. And he wouldn't quit until Alexis felt the same.

"Then _don't_ stop," she told him in answer to his thoughts, her seductive breath of a tone such that it was the end of the limit. Alexis gasped when Starscream smoothly repositioned Alexis more firmly against him, allowing her to understand how much she affected him. But the dress was in the way, too much cloth and too little flesh exposed.

Pushing Alexis softly forward until she was lying on her back, he crawled over her and found her mouth with his. One of his hands disappeared under the dress when he managed to get through all the cloth, rubbing against her leg when he found flesh. Alexis' reaction was certainly not expected as she suddenly laughed, squirming in a manner that aggravated his already sensitized state. His brow lifted.

"Ticklish?"

"Sorta, that is no... I mean..."

Shutting her up Starscream kissed her again before pulling back abruptly as he looked down at Alexis. The trust in her eyes and mind was almost too much. Enough that once more he stopped. Sensing his heightened emotion, she tipped him over, positing them so that they were both on their sides with the front of their bodies touching. He wrapped his arms around her, Alexis bending against his chest as he tried to catch up and surpass the overwhelming state he had reached.

He had wanted her long enough, loved her so desperately as she actually loved him back. He was undeserving and unworthy of her innocence and devotion. It had been some time since a Seeker took a mate and now that he, Starscream, Supreme Air Commander and leader of the Elite Trine experienced and now possessed Alexis; he was both astounded and incredibly... it took him a moment to place the unusual emotion, but he finally identified it. He felt humble.

Starscream held her close as he made sense of who Alexis was and what he obtained. However, as what was probably inevitable Starscream's conceit finally caught up. She chose him as well, wanted him, and with the way her heart was beating, the light ready to burst forth from her eyes, she desired him as much as he desired her.

Leg brought between her own he rolled them over. Alexis now resting on top, he felt her thighs clenching against his waist and her palms pressing tight against his chest while she got a feel of her new position. Starscream tried to remember the last time he allowed any femme such a dominate view. Unable to come up with one he lifted up his head, finding Alexis lightly fuming while her mouth headed downwards in a tight frown.

"That was the past," he answered her unasked question. "But now there will only be one, and I," his voice lowered as his words became more firm, "shall be the _only_ lover you shall ever know." Following that his thoughts plunged towards Alexis that were filled with what she meant to him and all the things he planned for what was now _their _future.

Hand finding the back of her neck, he brought her more flush against him. Their mouths met in a frenzied war, until once more, but now with more driven purpose, Starscream's fingers found the zipper to her dress.

At that Alexis gasped, her skin flushing as fear of the unknown rose within. But it was ephemeral, vanishing as he internally reassured her. Nothing would be hidden between them. He would show her whatever she wanted. Do anything if it meant she would remain with him. Deeper down though, with a greed and firmly established obsession, he knew he would never allow her to leave. Alexis was his, now, before and until she took her last breath.

She bobbed her head forward with permission, and more wisps of hair came loose from the twist it had been in. Encouraged, his thumb and forefinger pinched the zipper, ready to reveal what he knew was going to be...

Dropping his hand and sliding Alexis off him, he groaned in disappointment and discomfort from the physical separation. Something was wrong; he felt it in his matrix. No alarm sounded; no security device went off, and yet something was incredibly wrong.

The atmosphere felt as it did after he terminated Thrust. A silence there that penetrated to the quick, dominating everything as every fiber and cable screamed of an oncoming attack. Or, as he was human, every muscle and tendon as a strange premonition tickled the surface of his flesh.

Starscream stood and pulled Alexis up with him. He let her know what he was about to do, even as no words parted from his lips. Before he could finish though, something exploded to the left, chunks of cement flying over their heads. Alexis screamed beside him; her balance lost when one of the fragments hit his Cybertronian leg directly to the right of where they were standing. She went over. Alarmed, he deactivated his holo-form, his consciousness pushed back into his body, he tumbled forward with his hand outstretched.

Starscream caught her just in time, but Alexis was dazed by the impact. Bringing his newly reacquired and upgraded null-rays on-line they readied. Another explosion sounded to the left and then overhead. Before he could target anything an alarm sounded, his security systems finally reacting. What they informed him of was enough that he actually felt astounded.

The base was covered in charges that were set to blow.

They were in incredible danger and had been unknowingly since their arrival. Things were worse than ever, for the detonation devices were now activate. Grabbing Alexis, thrusters roaring, he made a charge for outside.

* * *

"And here we are again. It seems inevitable somehow."

Starscream supposed he should have felt at least halfway assured that it took more than a dozen Decepticons to capture him. More than that if he counted the feeble aerial troops that really didn't do anything except direct forces from overhead. And now the excuses for fliers were distinctly lined up behind him just waiting for Starscream to try to make a move.

It had been some time indeed since he had last been on board Tidal Wave; the behemoth of a Decepticon that had been and obviously was still loyal to Megatron. The entire deck of the warship was covered with enough soldiers to make even Optimus Prime think twice, some that he actually recognized. Soundwave was there, Ravage prowling back and forth in front of the communications officer before shifting back to face Starscream's position, a rough growl emanating from his vocal processor. Cyclonus and Demolisher, who had not been involved in his capture were hanging back, avoiding his gaze and looking nervous. He recognized others as well; the numbers may not have been as great as the first time Megatron attacked Starscream on Earth, but the stature and reputation of those that were there far invalidated the lack of numbers.

The stasis cuffs that had been forced upon Starscream were already digging into his wrist plates, a burning sensation drifting out of them every time he moved or even flinched.

"Her energy reading is off the charts. Tell me, what disgusting things did you do with the creature?" Megatron took a step forward, radiating in that self-assured manner of his that gleamed and glinted off the edges of his sharp smile. "Did you actually take this human as your mate? Pathetic, if not predictable. A lowly, water-filled bag of flesh _would_ suit you."

Megatron laughed at that, but Starscream hardly heard; his attention was on who Barricade was holding; the black-and-white soldier was far too focused on the human conquest that he held tightly in his hand.

"Do you know how easy it was to break into Optimus Prime's own base? All that time they were preparing for an attack, and all I had to was direct the introduced virus to implement its final measure." The Decepticon lord gripped firm to Starscream's chin plate, thrusting it forcibly upwards as he continued to boast, "Stealing every last bit of information that Prime tried to keep from me. And I didn't even have to step upon the base, barely even had to create a distraction. And _these_ are the pathetic excuses for Cybertronian life forms that you run to."

Letting go of Starscream, Megatron went back to where Barricade stood. Grabbing Alexis from the hunter, he squeezed hard. That was all it took for Starscream to rush forward, not that he even got off the ground; multiple servos found him and pushed him back down as the stasis cuffs implemented a code that shut off his mobility functions.

Alexis looked at him, her face incredibly pale, a pain in her chest that he felt as if it was his own. If Megatron squeezed any tighter, he would push the life right out of her, and still Alexis only thought of him. Starscream knew it would take a long time to acclimate himself to her self-sacrificing manner, especially when it was directed at him.

Suddenly, Megatron threw Alexis, catching her with his other hand just in time before pivoting sharply off his left pediform.

"I tell you what, Starscream." Megatron came slowly to him, taking his time. The bright sky shot by, the clouds shuffling and moving by as the warship flew through them. The soon to be setting sun was behind Megatron, making the Decepticon lord's frame actually glow, even as he seemed to be walking through a tunnel of a shadow. Now towering above him, he spoke again, "Your pitiful actions, your," he squeezed Alexis again and the last drop of blood rushed out of her skin as her eyes dropped, body stilling, "inane choices, it only manages to invoke..." Megatron smiled with a wide face filled sneer that had his optics dimming."... sympathy in me."

He laughed at that, greatly amused. "So, I will give you another chance." Megatron stood firm, bringing Alexis up as he spared her a disinterested glance. Backing up he leaned down and then let her tumble out of his hand on to the deck. "You only have to do me a _small_ favor." The amusement seemed to pitch and build, showing a glimmer of Megatron's infamous mania. "Just bring me Optimus' head; the codes and security releases to all his bases, oh," he added as if an afterthought of no consequence, "and k_ill _your pitiful excuse for a mate... then _all_ will be forgiven."

Their optics locked, Megatron's amusement gone as the Seeker found himself analyzed with brutal directness. Starscream felt his stasis cuffs come off, clanging down below. All Megatron's personal guard tensed, preparing for whatever he may do. But they didn't move; no mech would have dared, not with the way their master stood.

Starscream's optics lowered. Alexis stirred, catching up through their link all that transpired. Her brows lifted and yet her trust didn't falter. She brought her head down and away from Megatron's view. She knew what was to come; Starscream felt it, and yet he was unprepared for the fear and pain she felt, for the unrivaled love that mystified and stirred him to his ultimate action.

The Seeker sprung, shooting over Alexis, he aimed for Megatron's head, fists clamping tight in preparation of contact. The guards blocked his path, but even unarmed that didn't stop him. Two went down and then five, then three more, the aerial troops coming up behind him, all ill-prepared for Starscream's strength that was fueled by far more than his usual self-interest. But never did he have something so worthy of fighting for.

All in all, the fight only lasted a couple of short moments. Starscream was overwhelmed and surrounded as he was forced down, his cockpit scraping harshly along the warship's deck.

"_Enough_." The word exploded, and the command was met and carried out with expediency.

The soldiers parted, and Megatron walked through. He sneered, his foot rising to crash on one of Starscream's wings. That not enough he got down, hand gripping firm to the other wing that he twisted and bent with ease.

"I wish I could say I was disappointed," Megatron whispered in a rather intimate tone, causing Starscream to bristle when with experience, he knew what was to come. "But I know you well enough, Starscream. Once a failure, _always_ a failure." With that Megatron rose, snapping around as he commanded his mechs, "Disable him, _forcefully_."

They didn't need to hear anything else. Coming at him all at once his frame was pummeled. Laughs and jeers surrounded the actions until finally with bitter anticipation his systems started to crash. But not before an unshakable terror came of what would happen to Alexis now that he was down.


	20. Ebb

Alexis was terrified.

Thrown into a cramped dimly lit cell, she scooted herself over to a far corner and sat there waiting and feeling and unable to do a thing.

_Hours._ They beat him for hours; she felt the pain, the anger, the bitterness, the contempt, the pain and the creeping numbness. Everything Starscream went through and experienced, she experienced it as well; it was a torment unlike any before. She tried to push through it and offer him whatever peace she could, but it was getting harder and harder to reach him. Until with such absolute silence she no longer felt it anymore. The emotions were still there; Starscream allowed her that, but even that connection he shielded, no longer willing for her to suffer along with him. Only half a day had gone by since they bonded, but already Alexis was so accustomed to their shared link that to be shut out abruptly was traumatizing and painful.

Coming to her senses took well over an hour. Then every few minutes she had to remind herself to breathe, a simple enough action that now needed prodding.

She was frightened for Starscream and petrified of what Megatron was going to do to him. As if watching them beat him on board the deck of the flying war ship wasn't enough, Alexis had to watch Starcream get dragged away so terribly still and damaged. One of the few things that allowed her to cope had been the steady hum of his consciousness floating in the back of her mind.

A part of Alexis pleaded for Starscream to open back up to her, anything to feel him as deeply as she had, but it never happened. Still, his emotions plummeted into her. Even distilled they were enough for her to figure out what was going on and for the terror to grow.

Alexis fought the emotion. She prayed; Lord knows she prayed, but somehow she would just end up right back where she was, helpless and useless, extremely bitter and so frightened that her body was becoming rigid, a dark foreboding chill spreading through her body that clashed roughly with the warm air of the cell she was in.

She sat there through the terror of it all. Rocking back and forth as her fingers bunched up the dress in her hands before releasing. Actions that were performed repeatedly while she struggled and fought and clung to whatever hope she could find.

Hours passed and then more. Alexis brought her legs up to her body, eyes wide open as she stared forward. Eyes blinking, Starscream suddenly stood before Alexis. She noticed his eyes first. They were the look of a feral, staring at her in a manner that both scared and appealed to her. But Alexis dismissed it and ran to him, wrapping her arms about Starscream. "What is going on Starscream? What...?"

His body was tense. His fingers wrapped around her arms, pushing her back until the wall stopped their small journey. She had so many questions and concerns. Starscream being as he was in his human form, was that not draining on his Cybertronian one? Or how was it at all possible... with what was going on? Was he there to get her out, was...

Everything in her mind went black when Starscream stared into her eyes. There was a keen desperation in them, a sense of panic as well that seemed to reverberate in the very manner in which he touched her.

"Starscream.. I..." she began, suddenly feeling the need for one of them to say something.

He collided with her body and Alexis' words were swallowed by Starscream's mouth.

"I need you Alexis. I... I need you..."

"I'm here," Alexis whispered back, eyes releasing liquid as she heard the pain that warbled in his voice. Dragging her down on the ground, Starscream had most of her clothes off before Alexis' mind realized what he meant. But she didn't care anymore; Alexis would do anything for him, and as his hands made their way mercilessly across her body, mouth saying her name over and over, she did.

* * *

Out of everything Alexis ever imagined she never thought her first physical sexual experience was going to be like that. Yes, she had been told it was going to hurt, but not the _whole_ time. Her mind had been prepared, but obviously not her body. She had been nervous, tense, and without the benefit of their thoughts being shared or him easing her through it, Alexis had been so uncertain.

She had been glad he didn't know what she thought, even as she tried to drown out her own emotions, a mantra starting in her head as she in agony both body and soul just waited for the whole thing to end.

Starscream held her so tight after, whispering to her. The things said caused her such anxiety as the sheer finality in his words led her to an overwhelming sense of dread.

And then Starscream left her behind. Alexis managed to clean herself, getting dressed again before she slid back down on the floor.

She didn't exactly feel different, but the thought of doing that with him all over again made her breath halt, and spots appear behind her eyes. Pleasure, there was suppose to be pleasure, and the feeling of being more than just herself. But all Alexis felt was a sense of intrusion, the weight of his body on hers, the erratic beating of his heart close to her own, the feel of his hot breath on her cheek and neck. The invasion of space and body that hurt so terribly bad until finally he finished.

And now she was crying because still she was sore, her innocence taken so quickly and with such finality, in such a crazed way and in such a place. But the true reason behind her tears was because Alexis knew she would let Starscream do it all over again if he just returned to her.

* * *

At least a day passed before they came for her, and by the time they did Alexis was in such a daze that it wasn't until she was ordered to bow before "the great and all-powerful Megatron" that she was able to come to her senses.

A digit immediately pressed her body down to the ground. Forced into the subservient position Alexis wondered, mind rallied with bitterness, if she could stop them.

"Frag," the owner of the digit shouted. Alexis remembered there was something she _could_ do, or at least her nanites. Attacking in defense they pushed the Decepticon back, allowing her to bring her body up as she settled on her knees.

"Lord Megatron, this human defiles all that you stand for by not showing you proper respect."

Alexis' head was up, and yet she didn't dare look at the Decepticon's master. Her mind may have been renewed with anger, but caution came through as well. She was surrounded, once more in front of Megatron and one of his ostentatious thrones. The ground she was on glittered with the familiar appearance of gold and the sheen of natural gemstones. Using her peripheral vision, Alexis managed to take in the new surroundings, not making eye contact with a soul. It was almost like the throne room of before, yet more detailed and defined. The dim lighting gave what was already an ominous room, the sense of dissociation, as if reality wasn't quite making through the door.

"And what do you suggest, Ramrod? Would you like the honor of enforcing this human?" Megatron asked.

"She has a defense mechanism, my lord, and the rumors of what she has done to our comrades..."

Megatron interrupted with a show of astonishment, "Are you saying that you are frightened by a mere human? The absurdity! Step away if you are unable to discipline the fleshbag."

And he did step back, disappearing among the other Decepticons that lined around the throne room. Suddenly, Alexis felt Megatron's gaze. Shifting on his chair of command he leaned forward.

"Stand up, Alexandra."

Her blood ran cold. The unsettling familiarity in the way Megatron spoke to her obviously had its effect for Alexis found herself bringing her body up. Swaying from the discomfort, she straightened her body. Shoulders firmly set she fought the urge to bring her hands behind her back, connecting and twisting them together as his fierce presence was felt.

"What have you done with Starscream? Where is he?" she spoke, a strength coming out of nowhere, one that started in her belly, swam through her heart and opened her mouth as it pushed out the words.

Wham. Down she went, forced back on the ground, another digit pushing and digging into her body. Her spine screamed, her ribs straining as she struggled to inhale. Alexis heard the faint whispering of the Decepticons, most stunned by her ability to speak to their commander so directly.

"Release her," Megatron ordered.

The pressure slipped away while spots danced before her eyes, a tremor remaining in her arms and legs.

The Decepticon lord continued, "You speak rather forthright for a human, but it will not serve you here. Now, did you not hear me? I said to _stand_."

Alexis hated the tears in her eyes and hated the way her body trembled when, with a great effort, she made herself rise.

"Starscream is no longer a concern of yours. And you my... _dear_, should be more concerned for what I have in store for _you_, than the dismantling that awaits..." Megatron choked on the word with disgust and revulsion." ...your mate."

Alexis fell to her knees at that, both out of the loss of strength and disappearing willpower. Spreading her arms before her, she pushed her words out, saying all she could think of even as Alexis knew there was no value in her bargaining chip, but she had to try. "Please, my lord, " she begged, words strong despite the fear that possessed her. "Please let him live and take me, do with me as you must, just, please let him go."

"There is no need for that," Megatron stated softly.

Alexis' body was rolled over. Her heart clenched as she looked up into the optics of Megatron. It was the first time she looked at him directly. She saw all that he was and the terror he could engender, the followers he could acquire, the relentless power he held that covered him as if a cloak. His words may have been gentle, but his manner was not. And when he smiled down at her, his razor-sharp teeth exposed; she felt more keenly the danger she was in.

He went on, "You see, human; I will do whatever I want with you anyway, so offering yourself like some sacrificial Autobot will do no good. Starscream has brought this fate upon himself. Dragging you into it only makes his punishment that much more fulfilling. Who knew he would beg so for the life of a carbon-based life form." He pushed down before her, taking her whole view over. "Now, as interesting as our conversation has been, you bore me. And it is time for you to learn, human that no one, most certainly not the mate of Starscream, can speak to me out of turn."

A swipe of a hand and Alexis found her stomach left behind. Someone picked her up before she was thrown back on the ground. She heard Megatron's voice farther away, but none the less clear.

"Have fun with her, just leave her body intact."

She didn't know what he was talking about. Until the shadows moved, Decepticons stepping forth and surrounding her. She couldn't swallow, her own body betraying her as she found she was frozen to the spot. They only stared at first, a discussion starting that Alexis was not involved in, but was the topic of. One of them got bold and bent down to poke her. Another followed until her body was assaulted by digits. Alexis curled into herself and tried to swipe them away, tried to scream them back, but they only laughed... at least at first.

Alexis actually felt the Cybertronian technology inside of her awaken. Not just a tingling of minute defense, but a full-blown revival as the nanites reacted to her fear. It was as if she was exploding and then sewn back together and then exploding again. Over and over it continued. The pain there and then not, overwhelming and then nonexistent, her mouth stuck open as she silently screamed.

* * *

Her strength was failing. The nanites poured out of her with a vengeance that she just couldn't maintain, even if they were already beyond her ability to control. Alexis heard the struggle and the resulting disarray, her in the middle of it all before being shoved away. More digits found her, wrapping around her body, refusing to let go even as the world seemed to climb, shift and turn.

It was some time before she could open her eyes, the fuzzy world becoming cohesive and clear as her new surroundings left her confused. Alexis felt a familiar presence. A body stepped into her line of sight and walked forward with a haughty gait.

She almost forgot all about him, even when he was the one who pried her from Starscream before the Seeker was taken away. Alexis tried to stand but failed. Her body was recovering quickly, but what she had been through was taking its toll.

"Finally," he said. His tone was low and throttling with open intensity, "we are alone. I have waited for this opportunity for some time, Alexis. Cooperate with me, or I will throw you back to the undeserving lackeys. Believe me the ones left standing will be elated for another go at you after what you did to their friends."

"I will _never_ cooperate with you, Barricade."

He only smiled before forcefully pulling Alexis up to rest against his humanized body.

"_That_ could be _fun_ as well."


	21. Disturbance

There was a dark, primal satisfaction to having the girl in his quarters. Of course, Barricade didn't expect her to be so out of it. After scanning her, he made discoveries. Some that angered, and some that he expected. Pushing her against the wall she leaned against it for support with her head turned away.

But Barricade didn't go through all that he did to be ignored. The blade he pulled out, flipping it then extending, was enough to regain her attention back. Fear flashed in her eyes as she struggled to get away, but she was far from recovered and her steps were awkward.

Catching the human and holding her easily still, he brought the knife up and then down, slashing through the offensively white dress, watching as the tattered shreds landed between their feet. Alexis looked at what he did before gasping. And then peered back up at him, covering up her body as she tried to shove him away.

Now she was wearing nothing only a thin piece of silken cloth. Taking a moment to look at her, long enough that the human turned red as she bristled, Barricade grabbed one of her arms and forced Alexis along with him.

"Get in," he ordered. They stopped before his sonic shower. Barricade leaned closer and whispered into her ear, "You smell far too much like Starscream. You will clean yourself up and then..." He let the threat hang, wishing the shower could do something for that energy signature of hers that had once more taken on the annoying characteristics of Starscream. Alexis' eyes narrowed before she flinched, squeaked and then gasped when he grabbed her again. The door slid open, and he pushed her inside the sonic shower.

Barricade watched her silhouette slump down. The sound emissions of the cleaning cycle commenced as he remotely accessed it. There was something far too gratifying about watching her like that. Alexis' tiny form now in his large cleansing area, Barricade went momentarily into the past as he remembered how, when she first became his in the beginning, he would watch her take showers then too. During that time though, his actions were required to make sure she cooperated.

He watched the visual display with enthusiasm. His pseudo heart pumped as his chest tightened, tongue coming out from between his lips to drift along the bottom of his mouth. Barricade allowed her a couple of minutes which he believed were long enough to get the Seeker's stench from her flesh. Deactivating the sonic shower the doors slid open. Throwing clean clothes at the girl, it shut again.

"Put these on, or I will for you."

Alexis did as he commanded. His fist clenched as Barricade observed the sound of the zipper traveling up the front of her body. After that she wouldn't come out so he forced her. Alexis was more sure on her legs now. More life in her eyes as well, her mouth set tightly together in a stubborn frown.

There was something about just looking at the girl that could disturb him. He stared before his eyes wandered over her frame. She now wore a jumpsuit that Barricade had long ago obtained. There was no error that it resembled the one Alexis wore when she had been in his keep under Starscream's watchful optics. However, he must not have accounted for her size as well as he thought, for it was tight, clinging and dipping and curving along the femme. It was the first time he acknowledged that she was a rather curvy creature, a lithe piece of flesh that lured him, pulling the hunter into an erotic intrigue which could only have one conclusion.

He had never waited so long for anyone like he did the flesh creature who was now leaning against her legs. Soft moans escaped her mouth as she moved, sounds of pain obviously, but the airy breeze of them had desire mount upon him.

Barricade long prepared for this day. He probably had too much time to plan as he lost himself in what he would do to the human when the opportunity finally arrived. How he enjoyed toying with her and manipulating her, bending her to _his_ will.

Alexis jumped to her feet when Barricade approached. Seemingly trying to become one with the wall as she looked for a means of escape. But she wasn't going anywhere. Metal clanking dully, handcuffs appeared in his hands. Before she could even think of trying to run, down the cuffs came, capturing her left hand and then the other.

Barricade pulled at her again. His hand clasped tightly around the metal links he made his way to a chair in the middle of the room. He sat down, and with a strength of a tug Barricade forced Alexis on him, pulling the cuffs so that her hands were straining behind his neck. One of his hands held them in place while the other clamped tight on the side of her waist.

For several long seconds, he was swallowed up in her eyes. They were filled to the brim with confusion, passion, anger, hostility, pain, focus and undeniable power. It was overwhelming, penetrating his core as he forcibly made her keep contact with his eyes.

Alexis looked away. The moment lost and forgotten when she started to struggle. Moving against him, she tried to get away. Alexis stopped when she realized how futile it was. The whole object of bringing her down on him had been so that he could look at the girl further. More than enjoying the way it unnerved her, as it had moments prior. Now all he wanted was for the human to struggle again like the way she just did, her body brushing over and above his with that glorious friction. Barricade's lids drooped as a dark hazy want came over him.

Alexis noticed his response and once more tried to get away with near frenzy, halting when, even as Barricade tried to shield it, she realized he was only enjoying it.

"You're disgusting," she breathed out.

"And you are a worthy indulgence." Barricade brought her closer and bit into the delicate flesh of her neck. His hand loosened and drifted down to her hip, gripping firm.

She yelped. Trying to pull back she commenced once more with movement, her small body connecting with his own in short bursts of rebellion.

Opening his eyes all the way when the movement stopped, he found Alexis' face hovering above his own, a strange intent look in her eyes. And then she was leaning forward with her body unwillingly brushing against the hunter. Barricade moaned with appreciation. Alexis' mouth hovered over his throat, teasing but not touching. He waited for the inevitable contact. A part of him didn't believe it was that easy. But his desire was such that he interpreted her intent backwards. Barricade knew that when he heard the sound of metal connecting with metal. And before his lust filled mind could associate the sound with the actions, Alexis was free.

"What part of you disgust me do you not understand?" She was standing before him, looking down at Barricade while a redness in her cheeks that seemed to become brighter with her anger.

He smiled, a rather easy lifting up of the mouth that strained against his flesh. The human male body was so easily stimulated that it was both disgusting and infuriating. He was starting to realize he needed more practice. For even though he had an abundance of control in his Cybertronian form, the human body seemed just straining for the sensation of pleasure as it prepared and pushed forth such distracting, cloudy stimuli. Perhaps though, his lack of control had to do with the unpredictable femme before him, and the way her flesh felt when it made contact with his own.

"You _almost_ disappointed me," he said slowly. One of his hands moved languidly down his thigh. Remembering what she felt like that erotic tug sparked inside and traveled down. He realized with unrestrained excitement that her eyes were following his movements. She stopped quickly, her eyes jerking upwards and unwilling to travel any further. Barricade smirked.

"Why do you keep doing this?" Alexis asked.

He laughed at that, stilling his human body at that same time; his arousal could wait. Right now, with the way her fingers were tightening, foot lifting and then heel falling, her breaths slowing as her heart raged, he knew something was about to pop.

"You stupid human," he said bitterly, rancor rising as Barricade reminded himself what she did with the Seeker and so eagerly. "I want what you so easily gave Starscream. And before I am done with you, you are going to offer it to me willingly, and then I shall take you and show you what true ecstasy is as you beg me to..."

"Shut up!" Alexis sprung, elbows locking and metal clanking, wrists meeting and hands brought together followed by three quick steps forward as she flung her hands down and sharply to the left, a firm blow landed against his face.

Barricade could have moved out of the way in time, but he didn't, allowing it; he sat there. Blood poured out of a gash on his cheek. He lifted a hand up, brushing it further across his flesh as an eyebrow rose.

Alexis watched, disgusted and shocked. "Why did you allow me to..."

Her words faltered and died when he sprang upwards. She should have moved when she had the chance. But instead her vile compassion once more got in the way. Capturing Alexis again was not hard at all. Twirling her around, he released her right hand from the handcuff. Jerking her to a halt, he forced her to take a step forward, one he used to his advantage as he placed the just released cuff on his own left wrist and snapped it shut.

"Perhaps _this_ will be more satisfying," Barricade said smugly.

Pulling her hand back, his came along with it. Trying to get away, she didn't get far. Barricade's own weight forced her back, the handcuffs squeezing against their flesh.

Bending Alexis' right hand behind her back, he tugged the girl backwards. Her back landed against his chest, his free hand taking its time as it brushed down the side of her body. That didn't last. Screaming out she twisted and turned, slapping him hard across the face before striking at him solidly with her knee.

Barricade went back but she came with him. Tripping over her legs the tension from his cuff caught up with her own, forcing the human to follow him down as they fell backwards. Both landed roughly on the hard floor below.

While Alexis was dazed, Barricade was not. Lifting upwards he pounced over the human. Pushing her hands over her head, he leaned over the right side of her body, careful not to place himself in such a way that he could once again lose control of the situation. Alexis didn't know, but she had far too much of it as it was.

Blinking several times she stared up at him, her nose wrinkling as she heaved a heavy expanse of air. And then with a quickness that fascinated, she lifted her left hand, a delicate wrist brought up as she thrust her palm forward. The flesh connected with his nose, scarlet bio fluids gushed and a sharp ache commenced, the feel of it letting him know she just broke his nose.

How violent Alexis had become. If only she knew that it stirred him further. The bubbling of arousal, which had not been that far away, lifted to the surface as he tasted the metallic sting of blood lining the roof of his mouth. Alexis did not appear as disturbed as she did last time. If he was reading her correctly she seemed more satisfied than anything else. Unaware of the added appeal she had now that Alexis had his blood sprinkled on her jumpsuit.

He had no choice but to respond to her own brutal overtures. Barricade lifted her head up and then sharply pushed it back down to the ground. She yelped, her eyes clouding over. Lifting Alexis' body, he twisted her hand behind the girl, sliding her back to him as he leaned in from behind. Folding over onto his legs, he brought her body backwards to rest between his knees.

"Your violence only serves to arouse me, Alexis. I _want _you to fight me. I want you to struggle and scream and cry out my name." He lowered his voice, his desire pushing it down a couple of octaves. "_Hurt_ me, Alexis. Free yourself of this goodness. Cause me pain. _Punish_ me. Beat me," Barricade whispered against her ear as she shivered, "make me bleed."

"Too afraid to approach me as a mech." she managed to get out, her voice a tortured whisper of a challenge, her disappointment evident.

"Oh, but it is _you_ that have forced me to take on this base form. Forcing me to experience the profits of being a male. Anything I do to you is your own making." To emphasize his point, Barricade's mouth pressed against the back of her neck, a thin trail of blood left behind that he eagerly lapped back up with his tongue. Tasting her in his fluids, Barricade felt a sense of empowerment.

That was why he forced her back around, his body crawling over hers before settling firmly on her stomach. Alexis stayed still, but glared at him, her eyes darting to the side of her body before returning.

"Start struggling," he commanded, his voice husky with intent. He knew she had trained, and knew she could fight harder than this. His hand crawling backwards he squeezed the flesh of her inner thigh.

She screamed, gasped and paled, but somehow remained relatively still.

Barricade pushed Alexis' hands further up by her head and then swiped the hair gently out of her face. "He _hurt_ you didn't he? Not exactly what you expected, but the fault is once more your own. Taking a Seeker as a lover is not exactly for the _timid_."

He hit the mark because instantly water started to well in her eyes. Alexis bit down on her lip, head turning to the side so he couldn't see. He just forced it back, wanting those life filled eyes upon him, especially now that they were vulnerable.

"I don't have to be all roughness, Alexis. Just give in to what is going to transpire. You shall be my consort. And when you are it will only be _I_ that you need to please instead of countless others. I do _not_ share." His threat was a hollow one. There were few like him that had discovered the hidden benefits that humans had to offer.

"You're bile! Your consort? I wouldn't _wash_ your feet. And if you somehow forgot, I already have a mate. And no effort you make on that front will change what Starscream has done to me. But your too busy hiding being your... _simulation_ of manhood to show what a true mech you could be anyway."

She was trying to goad him, and it almost worked. But there was a part to her words that she was unaware of, and that he was getting close to revealing. Alexis was bringing her hand up, and before he could stop it, she brought it back down, turning his hand so that it was above hers before she crashed them both on the floor below. She had paid even better attention than Barricade thought, or just knew the limitations of the cuffs on their wrists.

With the strength combined of both their hands smashing down, the pressure was enough for the handcuff to fall off her wrist as the deactivation protocol initiated from the pressure applied. She acted, punching him as hard as she could and then managing to wriggle out from under him. Alexis rolled back; her legs brought together and then springing forward as they came smashing against his chest.

She was just as surprised as he when Barricade tumbled back. Already she was running away, her course becoming an erratic one when he leapt to his feet and followed.

No longer amused by the slickness of the blood upon his flesh, he activated a program. The bio fluids, bruises and cuts faded as the cartilage under his nose reformed and merged. Cornering Alexis, she disappeared inside a hollow shaft, having little idea what she ran into. But being her size now, Barricade could see it didn't quite look like the missile launcher it was. The one that he had tried to implement into a form of an upgrade, even as he was still unhappy with the added bulk. He didn't remember leaving it lying on the floor, but he had been hurried when the orders regarding Starscream came in, and during that time had been little aware of much except for the enthralling rhythm of his spark.

Lingering outside the tip of the launcher, he peered inside. Nothing resided within only shadows and darkness, the ending of footfalls, and as he strained, the sounds of muted breathing.

There was something of a thrill at having trapped Alexis inside the thing. His hands slid along the edges of the weapon's passage as he walked inside. Barricade enjoyed the tactile contact and the coolness, sensations that made his skin bristle. It was tight inside and the farther he journeyed the darker it became. Of course, he could see perfectly well. Male or not he was beyond a mere human and not past giving himself whatever advantage he needed.

He found her within two minutes. Her small body was curled up into her legs as she leaned against them, head tilted to the side as she heard his approach.

"Don't come any closer," Alexis warned, even managing to halfway gauge his location despite her inability to see.

Barricade chuckled, "And what could possibly keep me away... Alice has gone down the rabbit hole, and I _must_ follow."

"Alice what..."

He brought her up by the neck and squeezed enough that she gasped and struggled to breath. She tried to kick and punch at him, but he had far more than enough of that for the day, so he halted her actions by applying pressure against her legs with his own, pushing heavily against the girl as he grabbed her hands.

"I read that book. It was in your room. And if you do recall... so was _I_. Such an interesting set of books you had. I wonder what your parental units would have thought of the poetry you wrote that was hidden underneath your bed. I must admit I still have a hard time trying to decide if I preferred your passages of violence, or the ones of your innocent grasping for the understanding of sexual fulfillment."

Even in the dark he saw her blush, or perhaps the color change was because of the lack of oxygen. Easing up a bit on her neck, Barricade permitted Alexis to breath.

He went on, "Do you know, Alice, where you have gone? This is _my_ rabbit hole. In fact, it is a Trilinion missile launcher. Just a quick thought and I could end this right _here_."

She didn't disappoint when she brought her head up, defiance in her sharp eyes as she spat out, "Then do it."

The corner of his mouth lifted while he did just that. He primed the weapon as it came on-line. Red lights flickered on and grew along the narrow passage, pulsing as it charged.

By then, with the weapon on, the throbbing along the cramped shaft through the girl and into him, the rising heat clinging to his flesh and Alexis trapped before him and the danger of what they were inside, Barricade was unbelievably stimulated.

"I could destroy you right now, and stand here watching as you were disintegrated and literally blown away. However, it will be I that _personally_ finishes you _if _you fail to please me. So, my little Alice, Alexandra, _please_ me and _live_."

She was confused when he suddenly let her go, her eyes darting cautiously to him and then over her shoulders to the exit. The confusion from his actions wasn't enough; Alexis ran.

Deactivating the missile launcher, Barricade trailed behind, filled with exultation for his objective. He never wanted it to end.


	22. Blame

"Did you really think you are capable of hurting me?"

That had been the last thing Barricade said to Alexis many an hour ago when he came after her as the mech he was, picking her up and squeezing her tight in those heavily clawed hands of his. Alexis had really believed her nanites would have kept her safe from him, but was quickly proven wrong with his words, and his ability to stay upright despite the Cybertronian bugs going to work on the Decepticon.

Of course, it would have figured that he would have found a way around the nanobots. She was too tired to become anxious over that and far lost in her own mind to allow herself to come to the full realization of just how much danger she was in. How could she think of herself when all Alexis could concentrate on was Starscream and the low hum of his emotions ebbing and flowing in her head? It was like depression at its most poignant. A sense of misery beating inside even as she strained and fought just to hold to that. For while she did, no matter what it felt like, at least in a way Starscream was still with her.

Alexis had thought the worst when Barricade came after her, but all he did was pick her up and place her on some table before he went and sat down on his berth, staring at her relentlessly with bright optics across the expanse of the room while she folded into her body. Alexis let him stare. She didn't care. She knew he was trying to get under her skin. Trying to wear her down and break through the last of the hope she still had.

How Alexis ached. Her body was still sore in places she didn't want to think about. Her spine felt like it had been stretched, back muscles throbbing and her neck stiff. And for the first time in a long time, she had a headache that pulsed between and underneath her eyes, seemingly straining beneath her flesh as it promised with every pang that it was soon to blossom into a migraine.

Even her nanites could only do so much over such a long time. If she slept, she would have quickly rejuvenated. Which Alexis was starting to believe Barricade actually wanted her to do, and that made the prospect of the offered recovery somehow malicious in intent.

They played their next game. Exchanged looks and stares, heavy sighs and disapproving grunts, neither moving much as human and 'Con weighed and measured one another. Both knew the silence was not going to last nor was the inaction.

Barricade got up, coming toward Alexis as her back pinched upwards. Eyes following his line of movement until he grabbed her, his hand lowered down as she slid out of his hand to the hard floor below. It was an effort just to remain standing. Alexis' eyes clouded over as the headache pitched, nausea arriving as she exhaled a tight breath.

He transformed, body shifting and twisting, folding and moving, sounds echoing and reverberating all around until with a sharp bounce, a Saleen S281 Ford Mustang recently shined and polished settled nearby. Wheels moving forward the bumper got her knees, forcing her body to pitch forward as she landed halfway on the hood of the car.

Alexis bit on the yelp, swallowing it back down her throat as she lifted her head. The room's lights dimmed and faded away overhead, and the driver-side door of the vehicle opened. A patch of light from inside the car spilled out onto the floor, stirring dormant shadows as they crept forward.

"Get in," Barricade commanded, his tone amused and tainted with satisfaction.

She shook her head and pushed off his hood before backing away, expecting him to follow she merged with the growing darkness. This time Alexis did yelp when she bumped into something solid, her body twisting around.

Human Barricade.

He grabbed Alexis. Barricade was so intent on his purpose that he didn't bother looking at her just dragged her along before flipping her over and pushing her back down to the hood of his car as he heavily leaned forward. His hands moved to each side of her body until Alexis found herself caught between car and holo-form.

Alexis felt his fingers brush through her hair before he pushed the follicles past her shoulders.

"I think you fight _too_ hard," he whispered, his voice throaty and low. "The more you fight, the more I think you _want_ me to _want_ you."

Alexis shook her head. Trying to pry her hands away from his own, he only gripped them firmer. Barricade looked at her; hazel eyes focused, his determination growing as did the pressure being applied. She gasped when he bent forward and nuzzled against her neck in a rather gentle manner before he breathed in deep, whispers crashing against her ears as he uttered ominous vows.

Pulling away his darkened eyes fell back upon her, drifting down her body and then back up as the corner of his mouth lifted. For a second or two Alexis was sure he was about to hurt her again. But next he brought her hand up, his own sliding down her fingers and past the band that rested there, and then back upon the ring where he squeezed the flesh around it. Barricade wasn't smiling anymore. The devious expression he held was lost as severe discontent took its place.

"I know what this is," he said more to himself that to her, "this is a declaration of ownership worn by you humans. And to think you sounded so convincing when you told me you did not want to partner off like the rest of your species. However, rest assured, human, you will not be a procreator of anything that Starscream could spawn inside of you. I will not allow it." He dropped her hand and pushed it back against the hood; his own falling on top of it before he pressed her hand neatly in place by her thigh. "You belong to me. And if I need to mark you to make that clear then so be it."

Alexis was pulled along until she stood by the open car door. Twisting her around, he pushed her inside. Two sets of handcuffs appeared that the Decepticon placed on both of her hands with ease. He clamped them down on the steering wheel, effectively rooting her to the seat. Assaulting her with a promising sneer, Barricade blinked out and disappeared.

"Yes, I have missed the feel of you inside of me," Barricade purred, his voice floating around the inside of the car. Alexis flinched hard when the car door slammed shut, locks falling down and trapping her within. She swallowed, her entire body tensing and heart racing so arduously it made spots shine vividly underneath the lids of her eyes. Alexis prayed, trying to calm herself, trying to back away from the climbing sense of panic, but he only had her for a couple of hours so far, and already it was a waking nightmare that was sure to follow her around for sometime.

The steering wheel twisted and turned hard and sharp, pulling her hands to the right in an awkward and painful manner. She bit down on her tongue.

"Speak to me Alexis," he prodded.

The wheel turned further as she gritted her teeth. Gaze on his dashboard Alexis glared hard, eyes building with water before they spilled down her cheeks unchecked.

"I have nothing to say to you," Alexis told him. The tension faded as the wheel returned to its normal position.

"Oh, I am sure we can find something to talk about. Perhaps we could converse about the fact that your mate is soon to be terminated and that you, human will be left alone, unprotected and so very vulnerable." He started to laugh, the seat shaking back and forth from the Decepticon's mirth. "Of course, you are vulnerable right _now_ aren't you? And I do rather _want_ you. Even dirty and used, hopeless and pathetic you still manage to incite need within me."

"You are _so_ stupid," Alexis couldn't believe that the cold, detached bitterly angry voice was hers that took on a life and power all its own. "Why do you think I am even alive at this point? To be your little plaything? Megatron has plans for me. Plans that are far worse than anything you could ever do to me. You can't keep me. Can't even have me, and it would be better for both of us, if you just kill..." Her words were swallowed up by the violent screams ripping from her throat; her body heaved while she tugged against the cuffs trying to get away, trying to get free, just trying to feel something other than despair and terror and total loss of control.

Starscream, she wanted to see Starscream and feel him and hear that warming voice of his that made the hairs stand up on her arms. He couldn't be killed. They didn't come this far to lose one another. It wasn't possible, right or fair.

However, life was seldom fair. And when that thought came Alexis' struggles stopped. When, with Barricade watching her or not, she let go. Crying deeply, the lack of sleep, the aching body and every little fear that had played through her came out. Her body trembled as for several long minutes Alexis gave in to what might be. It wasn't relief that found her, but a darkness that grew inside as further anxieties whispered and taunted, a heaviness settling in her heart as her tears faded, the beating of her life organ pumping rapidly between her ears.

"Are you finished?" Barricade inquired with exasperation, his voice stiff and words clipped. "Quite a wild little thing aren't you? I cannot help but wonder sometimes what you would be like if you truly let yourself go. Of course, without the loss of bio fluids. This crying subroutine does not suit you. And you are wrong, human, whatever Megatron is going to do to you; I can _still_ have you."

Eyes jumping up, Alexis pushed back only to be pulled back forward, cuffs digging into her wrists. It was getting hotter, vibrations tickling along her body. Alexis felt ill, knowing now due to her bonding experience with Starscream exactly what it meant. A part of her started to break away to hide. The ability to face what was by all likelihoods about to take place, too much for her worn and tired consciousness to compute. Alexis pretended it wasn't her. Pretended she was far away, sitting in the middle of a flowery field, the sun perfectly shining above her and the wind blowing through her hair.

The vision broke away the moment Barricade spoke again.

"I know it was Starscream that saved you all those years ago. Know that because of what he did that day, that now you are quite compatible with everything I have in mind for you. After I am done with you, I may even thank him. That is if he is still operational."

Alexis blanched. "I don't want you. I don't even like you, and I know that you despise me. Please, let me go. You can't really want me... you can't do this. You just can't!"

"Silence," Barricade lashed out. "Do not dare to presume how I feel, or tell me what I want. You shall be my consort or my prisoner. Either way, your life is mine; your pleasure is mine, and when you are no longer blinded by the lies the Seeker told you that allowed him to claim you, you shall see and know the freedom of having me as your master, the unquenchable desire as your lover. I shall be the only one that shall ever know the touch of your skin, the smell of your excitement and the heady scent of your fear."

"You revolt me; you shall never be my lo..." Alexis choked on the word, unwilling to say it. "It is only Starscream I shall ever know, so unless you plan to..."

The heat was suddenly intense, the dull vibrations turning into a full throttled quake. Alexis realized yet again that he managed to pull her into his game, made her speak and forced her to respond, got more than a reaction out of her as he probed and jeered. Her stomach seemed to fall away, an uneasiness taking its place as her flesh crawled. Alexis was stuck and left with nothing she could do. If he had come at her again in his human form she could have fought against him. But Cybertronians didn't couple like humans. And while there could be a physical joining, it wasn't like humans. They came together to increase the output of combined energies and to build and grow upon the pleasure that didn't need to have anything to do with intimate touching. Alexis felt Barricade's energy flow, had identified it when she was in his presence, but never, not ever, did she want to feel it charged and tingling over and around her body.

She panicked and felt angered and helpless, lost and so very alone. Alexis' thoughts twisted and reversed, falling down into a deep chasm where goodness and mercy could not exist. She was wrong about so many things. A dark lusty ambition came, the ability to carry it out herself right beside it. She needed to kill Barricade, to stop him from doing or touching or even saying her name ever again. It just had to be done.

Starscream was right; Barricade deserved to die. And realizing that and taking it in made everything worse, for Starscream had been willing, so _very_ willing, but she didn't let him.

And now it was too late.

It was her fault she was here. Her fault whatever happened. _Everything_ was all _her _fault. A taunting, terrible voice within Alexis told her with cold gratification that all that had happened, and all that was about to transpire was everything she deserved.

However, Barricade was only the beginning. What Megatron had planned for her... Alexis shuttered, mouth trembling, tension working through her spine and back. And what of Starscream? She just couldn't think anymore, just couldn't deal with it. She needed to... needed to...

Barricade interrupted her gloomy thoughts when he spoke with conviction, every little word ripping away at her flesh, "I shall have you in whatever manner it takes. And you shall find my persistence is only equal to the hard, unrelenting feelings that I shall awaken in you. Now stay still or struggle, but know either way you won't be able to stop yourself from enjoying this."


	23. Blink

Barricade struggled while his systems came back on-line. Pushing and tugging against his own processors he reached for the surface.

Things did not go like he wanted. That was the first thing he recalled, his memory banks rewinding showed him the failure that just took place.

He tried and tried again. Exasperation building as he fought for release. Barricade was so entirely wired from the foreplay and the feel of her flesh, the girl now trapped inside of him; it wouldn't have taken much, but he knew when her energy suddenly faded away that things were not as easy as all that.

But his persistence only grew. He tried pain. Tried taunting and teasing, even managed to push and then pull her into that anger of hers, expecting the usual boiled over of energy that always trickled out and hummed when the girl was on an emotional high.

There was nothing. And that was when he knew Alexis was protected as Starscream's mate, and when he realized his satisfaction was not going to come in the form he was in. By then his determination was too fixed that the acknowledgment and glimmer of eventual defeat were ignored.

His passion consumed him, breaking loose in a last desperate attempt to connect with her; all the need and the lust, the sheer hunger, it was too much to contain and hold on to. The accumulation of need overwhelmed and leapt forth, his energy at such potency that Barricade knew he would not be denied.

He never expected his own energy to backlash and ricochet off Alexis' body before crashing back into his frame, crackling along his spark chamber as a pain like nothing he had ever felt before burned through him, giving him the feeling of being ripped in half. That was when his systems crashed.

* * *

Something was dripping down inside his engine. Small droplets of water, Barricade realized, but that was all he could sense. His vision was down, and his systems were not reacting. He was stuck inside his own body and left with small isolated patches of data.

There was the smell of blood inside him. He felt the sticky liquid on the steering wheel and on the front window, also on the seat. Alexis was gone, yet the handcuffs remained. No, Alexis was _not_ gone she was in front of him and leaning under his open hood. He took in the scent of the girl's flesh, the stimulating smell of sweat and blood along with that alluring fragrance that was undeniably her. And then he smelled nothing. His olfactory sensors shut off the moment she tugged and pulled, releasing the cabling that provided that information.

Barricade realized the extent of what was going on. And understood why his systems were crashing and failing. The disruption was Alexis.

"I know you can hear me," Alexis said, the voice so unlike the girl's that he felt apprehensive. He wanted desperately to see her, but all he could do was feel. The small droplets stopped as he heard her breathe deep. "I wish I could say I forgive you for what you just tried, for _all_ that you have done, but right now I just can't. I _hate_ you. I hate you so much. I hate you because it was you I felt and not Starscream when he... when he..."

The words crumbled away, and he felt Alexis step back and the vibrations as she collapsed on the floor. Several minutes went by before she returned. When she did he felt the tension in her hands, sensed the resolve in the way her fingers gripped firm to the last cable that was keeping him alive.

"Starscream is dead," Alexis' tone was detached, "and I think I am too. I think... I think I have been sent to hell, because... because I can't seem to feel anything now, except that you just don't deserve to live."

The pressure on the cable increased, and he knew in mere moments it was all to end. Barricade acknowledged the arousal of it being her that ended him by ripping out the cable from his spark chamber, and with such determination and fierceness. The girl's need was so palatable that despite his lack of senses, the madness of the Alexis before him, the willingness for her to step on a path that he had long traveled, gratified and pleased him more than if he had finally claimed her.

He waited with anticipation for his ultimate release.

Movement sounded off, Alexis crashing away as the warmth of her touch faded. Someone was leaning before him, touching Barricade with familiarity. Moments later his vision came back on-line. His view was taken over by the base's medic and then down where Alexis lay unconscious and unmoving.

Barricade's vocals reinstated, he spoke, "Is she dead?"

"She is not," the medic stated calmly.

"Then fix me _already._ And speak of what happened here, and I will do worse than kill you."

The medic's digits slipped at his spoken vow and then went back to work.

* * *

Finally standing, he shifted his shoulder plates and found the medic's work satisfactory enough. Although he knew and felt that Alexis hadn't been aware of what she pulled out and broke loose, for she caused quite a bit of messy havoc.

"Why are you here?" Barricade asked, not thrilled at all by the idea that he had just been saved.

The medic bent down and picked up Alexis in his hands. His right hand folded forward; a sensory node protruded that he swiped above her body.

"Megatron wants me to proceed."

Barricade was getting fed up. The answers with the lack of detail and that the medic saw him so vulnerable. And it didn't help that he was now holding his property while scanning her with some obvious intent.

"Tell Megatron she died. I want her," Barricade said, trying to use a tone that spoke of disinterest, even if his words contradicted it just the same.

"Yes, from your energy flux that is within your spark chamber, I would say that you do." The medic's optics latched lazily upon Barricade. The sensory node disappearing, he turned around and made his way to the doors.

Taking off, jumping above knocked over equipment and a table, Barricade blocked the medic.

"Leave her," he ordered, no longer hiding his emotion as brittle sternness crackled through the air.

The Decepticon turned, keeping Alexis away. He was small for a 'Con, small frame, small hands, even small optics that recessed into a flat, grayish paneling. It would have been beyond easy for Barricade to take what he wanted.

"If I don't return her to the medical bay where Megatron is waiting, he will want to speak to you... _personally_."

He released the 'Cons shoulder panel, understanding the threat even as he deliberated on how to proceed. Barricade wasn't so easily waylaid, although a show of acquiescence could go a long way when one needed to borrow some time.

"What does he want with her?"

Whatever it was Barricade knew it terrified Alexis. The look on her face when she spoke of it, she had believed it a greater misdeed than what he had planned.

The medic frowned and looked at the girl before his thin hand lifted up and pressed down on the door's release. "You don't want to know," the 'Con said before walking away.

* * *

But Barricade _did_ want to know. He needed to know. Barricade didn't know that Megatron had anything actually prepared for the human, which meant whatever he came up with had been something his lord put thought into.

That wasn't good.

After waiting to make sure everything was clear, he headed toward the medical bay. That was when the alarms sounded and when a most astounding thing occurred.

Suddenly, Bumblebee, the Autobot's excuse for a warrior was standing down the long stretch of a hallway before Barricade. His blaster was drawn while he held Alexis protectively in his other hand.

The two stared at one another before Barricade's gaze drifted down to Alexis, even as his own weapon folded out of his hand and easily found its target, the scout was certainly bright enough.

But then his hand dropped and fell away, weapon disappearing as he moved to the side. Bumblebee warily moving forward as he whipped by. It took Barricade a moment to realize what he just did. It took him less time than that to figure out he had some security data to destroy.

No need letting Megatron know that he just allowed a prisoner to escape.

* * *

Megatron was incensed. But not for the reasons Barricade expected. He was angry because his base had been infiltrated by Autobots, and because someone betrayed him and their location.

"Barricade, step forward," the Decepticon lord commanded.

Flinching, tensing as his gears wound tight, he stood. Walking through the line of equally tense Decepticons, he fell back on his knee plates as he bowed low before his master.

"Find who did this and bring them to me," Megatron ordered.

Barricade nodded his head.

* * *

Finding out who the duplicitous mech was took little time at all. For the act was one of spontaneity. The trail that led to the Decepticon had been hastily and rather poorly covered up.

He dragged the 'Con to Megatron. After some rather colorful interrogation that Barricade performed, he was given the task of terminating the poor excuse for a Decepticon.

"Stand up," Barricade ordered after dragging the mech into an isolated area of the compound.

Swaying, the medic pitched forward until steadying himself into a standing position. He could have terminated him in front of Megatron, easily and effectively. However, he had questions to ask, ones that were for his receptors only.

But for the second time that day the oddest thing happened, such strangeness to the whole thing that he was stuck just watching.

One smooth tug and then another, armor falling on the ground followed by some more, the thin frame of the 'Con disappearing as another appeared, one that was unmistakably that of a femme.

"I would have stopped Slicor," the medic spoke. No, it wasn't the vocals of the medic he knew; it was softer, fuller, with more resolve and femininity. "Fortunately, Starscream killed him for me, and of course, I was named head medic in his place."

Barricade couldn't stop gaping. He had actually worked with the medic before him. It was he, no, _she_ that helped him refine his holo-generator and even boosted the capabilities of his LX. He was starting to believe that it had been wise that he kept the finer points of why he was needed such a thing, hidden. If the medic had known what form it was to take on and what purpose, he didn't believe she would have been so willing.

"It's the only good thing a 'Con has ever done for me," she spat out. "I was _so _close." She shook her head. The light above caught the color of her frame, a dull washed-out orange that by the look of it had long been hidden. "So close to avenging all my sisters, so close to being free. Everything I have done, everything I was forced to do under the guise of one of you. It would have been worth it."

"Then why help the human?" Barricade inquired with actual interest.

"Because different species or not, she is still just as much of a victim as the rest."

"Tell me what Megatron had planned for her," he asked again, the question one that had still not been answered.

The femme lifted her head and looked each way, her voice lowering; an edge of determination came with it. "I will tell you if you let me go."

Barricade laughed at that finding himself greatly amused. "I can find out of my own. And if you think this little display, this... revealing of your spark is going to stop me from killing you, you are greatly mistaken."

The medic's optics dimmed before her head lifted boldly, looking him in the optics. "I have something else I can offer you."

Barricade's head tilted, her provocative tone catching and drawing his attention in.

She went on, "I saw how you looked at that female human. I know what you want from her. I also know that you didn't get it. Use me. Use me like you Decepticons are so good at, have your fill and then let me go."

Barricade felt it took her far too many words to voice what could have been said in a few. Optics trailing over the femme, he saw her slenderness, the curves and the nature of her body that dipped and rounded out. She was unpolished and partly rusty, stuck with overly plain features that could have been attractive at some time, but now were dull and worn through. But it had been some time since he saw a femme; some time since he gripped one or took one to his berth.

"Come here."

She came more willingly than he expected. And when their optics met as he pushed her hard against the wall with his hands traveling and touching, Barricade remembered that when they used to work together it had been so easy to get her to do things for him. He also recalled how her digits stayed in one place longer than necessary; her gaze lingering, her hands trembling when he accidentally touched the medic.

And then he understood. She wasn't just offering herself; she was giving in.

* * *

"You are infatuated with her."

She didn't speak during what they just did. He did not expect her to when he returned from checking the area. Barricade expected her to have pulled herself together and ready to take the route he cleared for her.

The femme continued, "It wasn't me you were with just now, it was her."

That at least he couldn't deny, but he was not about to admit that vocally. He watched the femme reposition her knee plate, her optics steadily upon him.

"This passion you showed me, it was because of the human female," she said, seemingly done.

The Decepticon's patience gone and his lust fulfilled, he found he had no further need for the creature. He considered terminating her just the same, yet she did help him reach something he had been desperate for, and while it good enough to make him forget; it was enough to clear some of the spark clenching hunger away.

Barricade spoke firmly, "You have exactly five minutes, and then I am coming after you. If I reach you, I will _end_ you."

She wasn't an Autobot or a warrior, but exactly what she tried to get away with. However, medics weren't known for their battle skills nor their pertinacity in combat.

"You said..."

He interrupted the femme, ready for her to leave, "As I recall it was _you _who said it. If you want to live, you will have to earn it."

She frowned, shaking her head. "But I just..."

Barricade chuckled, filled with derision even as he felt pity for such a fool. "Interfacing; however vigorous does not attribute you with any special handling."

Her optics burned, actions speeding up as she finished putting her armor back on. With one last look at him, she began to run, transforming into a Cybertronian medical transport as she sped away.


	24. Deficient

Ratchet knew it was more psychological than physical, as far as what Alexis had just been through. Only three days she had been gone, although he knew she had little if any sleep. Even still he had to administer a sedative to force her to rest.

Perhaps that was for the best. For as he scanned her, he would not have been able to hide the displeasure of the results that filtered into his mainframe.

When she woke the medic was anguished by her eyes; the happiness that was in them which was quickly swallowed up by despair, liquid sorrow building within them that she quickly brushed away when Alexis realized she was being watched.

"Alexis, I have a couple of questions for you, can you manage?" Ratchet asked softly. He wondered if he had been wrong not to allow any visitors as he examined her, perhaps she needed the support.

She seemed to think about it for a moment, her forehead bunching and then releasing before she numbly shook her head.

"Do you know what happened to Starscream?"

Eyes widening and hands clenching the stiff sheets that covered her body, she went absolutely white, her small body trembling as she started to wheeze and huff with physical panic.

He chose his first question poorly. Alexis obviously knew the fate of Starscream.

She rolled onto her side, several long minutes passing until her breathing came more easily, yet still she didn't turn back around.

Ratchet cautiously went on, "Alexis, I know this is hard for you, but I have to ask you one more question, and then I promise I will leave you alone."

Her eyes were vacant when she turned back around to face him, such a contrast to their usual vibrant reflections. Small circles of pink lined each of her cheeks as with some effort, she kept her attention upon him.

He took a moment and tried to put the question into some tact form. But it wasn't forthcoming, so he spoke, carefully, slowly, and with delicate compassion, "Your body showed signs of stress, of... a violation, tell me, Alexis did someone do anything... _personal_ to you that you did not give them permission to do?"

"Barricade tried," she spoke with words that were deliberate and chillingly calm. "But as a Cybertronian."

"Were you only with Starscream?"

She nodded her head slowly.

"He mated with you as a human?"

Alexis nodded her head yet again. Ratchet tried not to become further concerned, even when he knew there was a time she would have been embarrassed by such questions, and would have been evasive, or just not answered at all. However, she did not seem to care at the moment.

Remembering his results, he prodded on.

"Did he hurt you?"

"He wasn't trying to. He didn't mean to, he..." She clamped her mouth shut. "I don't like this. I don't like it here. Please, let me go."

* * *

Thundercracker and Skywarp knew what the human had become to Starscream and knew that the Supreme Air Commander had without any room for denial, taken her as his mate. Thrusting her into their Trine as she became linked to them all. TC didn't feel her emotion nor hear her thoughts, but he felt the human just the same, lingering along the outside of the Trine's bond, there in reach and yet closed off and forbidden.

Skywarp had been as confused as he, but accepted it more readily. Thundercracker, however, had been beyond angry, fuming during and after and even still.

Starscream had no right.

And the worst of it all was that now he would never be able to voice his displeasure.

For Starscream was gone.

The moment that happened it was as if a third of his world lost its meaning while his systems stuttered and wound fast. His spark clenched as a pain that had nothing to do with the physical world, ripped through every circuit relay and juncture, forcing him to the floor as everything that he was and was going to be suddenly changed.

The three Seekers weren't family they were closer. They felt and knew and lived through one another, the galaxies stretching out before them and all around. They may not have always been friends. They may not have even gotten along. They may have hurt and injured one another, caused strife and many a disagreement along with plenty a fight. But they struggled together. They survived through many wars together. They depended on each other like they would no other. Knowing no matter what happened, no matter what calamity awaited them during the next cycle, or what dark circumstance or outcome, that they had each other. The wingmates were irrevocably linked and bound, the three becoming the whole of the equation that only true Seekers would ever understand.

Thundercracker blamed the human.

As soon as he came on-line from the shattering shut down, that was the first thing that filtered through TC as he made his way to Skywarp. The tug and need had been so great to be alongside his wing-mate during such a time, that it startled him in its sheer might. Decepticons didn't grieve; they weren't supposed to. Loss and tragedy were a part of whom they were, the inevitable that could be around any corner, the outcome that would eventually most assuredly be.

For days he and Skywarp tried to pinpoint Starscream. But the link had become weak and blocked until it shattered. And when news of the whereabouts of Megatron came into light, they went along, even knowing that their fellow Seeker would not be among the functioning. Unfortunately, it had been a quick and easy rescue. The two Seekers left unsatisfied as the need to destroy their enemies had been at a most disappointing low.

Thundercracker had been keenly aware when the human was finally nearby. For a moment, he considered terminating the creature, but it would not have brought Starscream back nor erased the actions that led up to it. And even trying to cope with the severance of a trinemate, he was not one to act rashly.

But that did not mean he was beyond having words. However, the Autobots were protective of their humans and Thundercracker was denied access to the girl upon their return. Yet he was not one to give up so easily. That was why he followed her when she left the medical center, as she was trailed by Bumblebee.

At first, he didn't know where the girl was leading them all. The scout followed covertly, the human not noticing or not caring. Thundercracker hovered above before settling behind a nearby tree. He recognized the place and noticed it was where Starscream, he and Skywarp had landed when they came to Earth.

The girl's journey ended. The human stood in nearly the same spot that she had on that night of their arrival. The girl's chin lifted up; her gaze shifting to the vast expanse of sky above.

An hour passed, and she didn't move.

The second hour that passed Thundercracker considered approaching her, yet the scout still remained, which deterred his actions.

Another hour went by, and TC considered leaving. The day turned to night, the wind picking up, the girl's hair pushed back and forth until the restraining device it was held in fell off, her hair becoming loose as it drifted languidly in the breeze.

Two more hours went by, and Thundercracker asked himself what he was still doing there.

Another hour passed, and it was then that he knew humans were not meant to be so still, not standing anyway. And yet despite that she barely moved with her head still lifted upwards.

It was after the tenth hour that suddenly her legs gave out and the girl fell down to the ground. She remained there, eyes not drifting.

Two more hours passed, and he thought he heard her say something, but then blamed it on the wind. Another hour passed, and that was when he saw Bumblebee shift and move closer.

It was on the fourteenth hour that Thundercracker identified what he saw. TC labeled it accordingly even as he was surprised that a human was capable. However, it was devotion that kept her there with her eyes up and body still as she searched the skies, devotion that had her waiting and hoping and believing that Starscream was going to come back.

It was four hours after that revelation that her body suddenly fell backwards, slumping to the side as the creature lost consciousness.

Bumblebee rushed forward out of his hiding place. He picked the girl up and stroked her arm, saying something to her that was lost on TC's receptors. But by then TC was bounding forward, something significant had changed during those hours of observing the girl.

"Unhand her, Autobot."

The scout whirled around, astounded by his presence and looking more than a little confused at his words.

Thundercracker pushed his hand forward with his palm up. "Give her to me this instant."

Bee shook his head firmly. "No, I will not."

A scuffle occurred, filled with shifting and moving of hands. With speed and agility, Thundercracker managed to draw the human out of the scout's hands. Object obtained he activated his boosters, leaving the disgruntled and suddenly very vocal Bumblebee behind.

TC didn't listen to what he was saying. He only thought as he flew away, that perhaps, just maybe, Starscream knew what he had been doing. Even in his death they were forced with added responsibility, for whether they wanted it to be that way or not, she was now, in however a small way, a part of them.

* * *

"I thought you wanted to kill her," Skywarp said from behind Thundercracker, actually managing to startle him.

He had been flabbergasted when he saw Thundercracker return with the girl. Shocked when he actually put her in Starscream's quarters upon his return.

"No. Not really."

"Does this mean you are OK with her now?" Skywarp inquired of his wingmate.

Thundercracker stepped forward. Behind him, the doors slid shut.

"Are you trying to imply that you _are_?" TC asked, evading the question with one of his own.

Skywarp smiled a little, somehow comforted in the fact that TC was still being TC, even if he wasn't quite acting like his usual self.

He shrugged his shoulder panels. "Starscream chose her as his mate. That has to mean something. How is the human responding to what happened?" he asked with curiosity. The question caused his spark to pang with deep-set melancholy fluttering within.

TC answered softly, "More deeply than I thought she would."

Skywarp moved closer and placed a hand on Thundercracker's arm, a desperation lashing at his mainframe. His words were lined in the terror of anxiety. "What is going to happen to us TC? What are we going to do now that Starscream is gone?"

Thundercracker shook his head and walked away. Skywarp easily caught up with him, assured somehow despite his actions that TC wasn't trying to depart from him just needed to get away from the proximity of Starscream's quarters.

"I don't know," Thundercracker said, shaking his head a grim frown appeared that was filled with heavy frustration.

Skywarp found himself startled. "Wait a minute _you _don't know?"

They were both coping in their own way. He knew Thundercracker was suffering as much as he, and yet somehow that simple statement made him understand just how much Starscream's death affected his trinemate.

Thundercracker went on while his exasperation grew. "I've considered leaving Earth and thought about disbanding Starscream's army, but in truth at this moment, I just _don't_ care."

"I miss Starscream too."

That brought Thundercracker to a jarring stop.

TC spoke with anger, a latent grudge emerging that he did little to hide. "This was his war and his ambitions. It's not the first time he forced us into his power struggle, but it _will_ be the last." Cold logic was back in the Seeker's words. Searing optics bore into Skywarp's, a challenge almost and a defiance of will.

"So, you never agreed with us being here," Sky said. Now looking back he supposed he knew that all along. Trinemates didn't share all things, but not everything could remain hidden, especially not discontent.

"I did not."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

Thundercracker shrugged sharply, wings twitching. "It wasn't my place. But Starscream knew of my opinion just the same. He chose to ignore it."

"So what? You want us to return to Megatron, beg him to take us back, maybe even feign ignorance in Starscream's duplicitous actions? You may so easily do something such as that, but I, TC, will not be able to forget that it was he that killed Starscream. And that may not mean anything to you, but I think it is my duty, _no_ my _right_ to seek revenge on what he did and what he tore away from us. I may not have agreed with everything Starscream ever did, or what he led us to, but he was a part of me, a part that will never, not _ever_ be replaced."

"Killing Megatron won't make things better, and you are an _idiot_ if you think you are even capable," Thundercracker said coldly.

Skywarp became angry, a wild patch of ill will spilling out. "Killing Starscream's mate wouldn't have either, but that didn't stop you from considering it."

"You filter my thoughts where you have no claim," TC groused bitterly.

And just like that Warp deflated, his anger gone and sadness returning as his wings hunched back, his digits curling and digging and folding into fists before flattening out as he hugged his cockpit tight.

"I can't help it," Skywarp whispered the strangled sentence, his words pained with emotion, "ever since Starscream was killed, my connection to you has become stronger."

TC's head fell. "Yes, I know," he rasped, his words colored with understanding sympathy.

"Do you think we will ever recover Thundercracker? Now that we are two?"

Thundercracker jerked his head forward into a tight nod of the head. "We _must_."

* * *

Stepping outside what was supposed to be Alexis' and Starscream's shared quarters, Ratchet found Thundercracker and Skywarp waiting for him, which was fortunate, for if he had to go after them, he would have only become more agitated.

"How many days has it been since one of you checked on Alexis?" Ratchet's voice was terse and impatient with a subtle anger simmering below the surface.

Skywarp shrugged before looking over at Thundercracker, who only crossed his hands over his cockpit.

"Have you even seen her leave the room?" The medic wanted to know.

"From what I have observed, humans are quite capable of looking after themselves," Skywarp answered with his optics upon the medic with deep curiosity.

Ratchet shook his head, exasperated. "That may be so, but we are talking about a human who has just lost her mate. Not only is she grieving, but she is being forced to come to terms with the breaking of the bond. You know how severe such a state can develop with us Cybertronians when their mate dies, was it beyond your capability to realize that a human could suffer just as badly?"

"You're the medic, not us," Thundercracker finally decided to speak up, his heavy gaze leveling upon Ratchet.

"Quite, and thank you, Thundercracker for reminding me. I was an idiot to think you would actually watch over her, an idiot to believe that Alexis being the mate of Starscream actually meant something to you." His tone was treading on dangerous ground, and yet both Seekers seemed carefully unaffected. "Yet what do I find? Alexis delirious and unresponsive, and I hate to think exactly what..."

Skywarp had enough as he burst through, he scowled with petulance. "You speak out of place. The girl's parental units have come every day and with sustenance. They even tried to get her to go with them, but she refused. Other humans came to see her, and _you_ have been here as well."

Ratchet's optic ridges rose, not missing the blame that Skywarp had managed to turn around back upon him. Yes, he had been there several times since her return. But she only seemed to become agitated by his presence. And since she was physically healthy, and he had a talk with her parents, he thought Alexis' recovery was well underhand. He just never expected her condition to deteriorate so quickly.

The medic spoke as calmly as he could, "We can blame each other all we want, but that doesn't change that I am taking Alexis with me."

Thundercracker stepped forward, a quick movement of strength that had a purpose behind it. "No."

"Do you want her to die? Was Starscream terminated not enough?" He was being blunt, perhaps too blunt, and with the haggard lines along Skywarp and Thundercracker, Ratchet knew Alexis wasn't the only one being dragged through the pit. But they had already refused his assistance, even became agitated that it was offered. Yet he _could_ do something for Alexis. While the two Seekers did genuinely appear to actually want to help her, they had no idea how to go about it, or that humans were not as easily maintained as Cybertronians. And he didn't have the time to teach them now.

The blue Seeker tensed, considering what was said. The medic prepared himself, identifying the pronounced stress along the flier's frame that had all the possibilities of leading to a physical confrontation, yet he was not about to back down.

Thundercracker slowly uncoiled and stepped back. Ratchet's path now cleared the medic didn't waste the opportunity.


	25. Endgame

Barricade kept an eye on the girl for well over a week before he found an opportunity to visit her. Alexis taken to the medical ward, it should have complicated things, but compared to the security the Seekers had on their base; it actually made things much easier.

Obviously, the Autobots adapted and prepared for holo-interlopers, but not well enough. For in the end all he had to do was change his signature to that of Starscream's and access was almost instantaneous. One would have thought after Starscream was killed that they would have deleted his codes from the system.

All the better for Barricade.

LX did a sufficient job situating the video relays, giving him more than just a clear view of what was going on; insight into pretty much anything he wanted to know about that was going on in the base.

Alexis had not moved from the medical bay's bed since her removal from the Seeker's base. Lying in the bed inert and acknowledging few, the medic finally introduced something into her system. Whether trying to get a reaction from her, or to ease her mind, Barricade wasn't sure. Video may have been well and good, but it did not show everything.

Several hours were all it took to create a large enough gap to get through the security field, one that his holo-generator could project through, but would not be picked up by the Autobots.

Barricade's destination set, he materialized at the foot of Alexis' bed. Standing at the end, he surveyed the girl. She was set in darkness, the soft glow of surrounding equipment stretching over the white sheets and leaving her head back in the shadows.

Advancing, his hand found her face, fingers brushing down her forehead and past the curve of her nose before settling on her full mouth. Barricade scanned her the entire time, but he had already stolen the information about her condition the moment he arrived.

Nothing medical was wrong with her, but that hadn't stopped the Autobot medic from drugging her and pushing her into a state of little awareness. Barricade came prepared. Tubules leaving his wrist, they pricked her skin, small droplets of blood rolling down her flesh as the Decepticon introduced a counter agent.

Alexis stirred and moaned softly, eyes flickering before slowly being pried open. She found him right away; shock, confusion and anxiety causing her to bound up in bed.

"Starscream?" She choked on his name, her eye's widening, hands shaking while rising to meet his face. "No, you're dead. You _can't _be here." Alexis started to panic then, the shadows jumping across her as she reached for some sort of alert button.

Barricade stopped her by pushing the table it was on back and away. She tried to stand, wobbling; she fell on the floor, or would have if Barricade didn't catch her.

"I've come for you, Alexis. Remain calm," he commanded.

The disbelief was still there along with subtle horror, a faraway look in her eyes that spoke volumes for the power of the Autobot's sedative. The clouds in her eyes parted some when a storm began as she started to cry.

"Not again. I can't dream of you again. It hurts so much when I wake."

Lifting her off the ground and in his arms and then making his way to the window, he pushed it open. Barricade stared down; it was a good drop below, but it was the only exit that was facing the direction he was heading in. And walking through an Autobot stronghold, especially as Starscream, would not have gone unnoticed.

Barricade jumped, taking off in a wild dash as soon as he landed and holding Alexis to his chest tight, still running when they made it outside the Autobot perimeter, even farther just to make sure.

At his designated safety point with stealth devices in place just as a precaution, he set Alexis down. They were surrounded by trees and bushes and grass growing in stray patches. Scrawny wild flowers sprouted here and there in several shades of yellow and red.

Getting down on his knees, Barricade sat before the girl and waited for her to react.

She was blinking hard, hands coming up to wipe her eyes off as if that would have cleared the fuzz. And then, as if that wasn't quite enough, she pushed the sleeve of her shirt up, fingers curling before they made contact with her skin, nails scraping the flesh, she scratched hard.

"Is this real?" she questioned. "Are _you_ real?"

"I am."

Alexis didn't wait for an explanation, didn't ask anything else. She just shocked his very spark when suddenly she was moving toward him, body falling against him as she tugged against him tight.

He should have taken on the form of Starscream much sooner.

Barricade knew that it helped a great deal that she was still clouded with the drug he introduced that was making it more than difficult for her to realize no matter what signal he was emulating, that it was without a doubt not Starscream's, but an impostor's.

And when her mouth pushed hard against his, demanding and furtive and so incredibly soft, her eyes shut tight as she leaned in close with that scent of hers washing forward as she moved and posited herself on top of him, once the shock of her reaction wore of; Barricade was surprised, followed by the delicious sensations that came from just her lips on top of his own.

He should have kissed her a long time ago as well.

But it was not time for regrets, not time to analyze his past actions. Point of fact, he wasn't thinking of anything but Alexis. The way it felt for her to be pushing him back down on the ground as she climbed farther up his body and settling comfortably.

Pulling back she looked down at Barricade, body easing onto his. Curling a little, her head rested on his chest while her hair spilled under his chin. Alexis seemed fulfilled at just that and for the next hour, she held him as soft tears landing on his shirt.

Barricade found he was neither revolted nor disturbed. But a dormant emotion came awake that caused him to hold her as well. Breathing her deep, he was so at awe by how it felt clinging to Alexis and having her there with him willingly. His fingers found her hair, brushing through the silken follicles he realized being there like that with her was what contentment felt like.

She came alive again, sitting up; she stared. Her hands found his hair before moving to the back of his neck and then higher where she lifted his head, her own following back down as their mouths met halfway.

The second kiss sent the first one straight to the pit. This time it was slower, a passion burning underneath it that heated his belly. It made the first one appear as if some sloppy test.

His hands found her waist, wanting desperately to draw her closer. She stopped him from reaching his destination, putting his hands underneath her knees and pushing them hard into the ground.

Barricade tried to touch her again, but she wasn't having it. After the third attempt, he gave up, knowing with the glimmer in her eye as she shook her head that she was to be in control.

And for once, the hunter didn't care. He was not one to easily allow that, but no one, not anyone, had ever done to him what Alexis was. That mouth of hers trailing down his neck, those fingers of her brushing and pushing and pulling, his shirt taken off as she threw it behind them. Yes, she could have it all. She could control him, anything, as long as she didn't stop.

He was gasping and moaning, other pathetic little sounds that betrayed his pleasure leaving his mouth as she continued. It didn't matter that she kept whispering the Seeker's name, didn't matter that his hands were still pinned; Barricade's touch upon her not allowed.

But he longed to feel her flesh. Longed for so much more than that. Knowing, even with the dazed look she still held, that drugged or not he was about to get that and so much more.

"I love you so much," she suddenly whispered. Pulling away she peered into his eyes. Alexis' hand found his face, tracing a lazy line down his nose and past his lips and then small circles on his jaw.

"I... I love you," he echoed back, the words easily flowing out between his lips, an ease that could only come with some truth, one that he never realized.

Alexis stilled as if his words were unexpected, but her hands kept caressing the flesh of his stomach, her eyes partly hooded.

"I want you, Starscream. I long to feel the closeness of your spark." Emphasizing her point, Alexis' head bent down and her mouth found the middle of his chest. Small kisses were planted until she used a finger, trailing a long line where her mouth had just been.

His body arched and Barricade gasped, too distracted to see where Alexis' words was heading.

"Where are you, Starscream? Tell me. I need you near me," she pleaded, the airy sound of her voice both sweet and enticing.

"I'm here," Barricade managed, head rolling back as he waited for that very capable mouth to find the sensitive flesh of his neck. Nothing came. "I'm close by." He finally added to appease her, his vocals low and strained. Barricade managed to get his hands free, one drifted under her shirt and trailed up her back slowly, the other settling on her thigh before gripping tight.

She closed her eyes, head dropping back, a soft delightful moan escaping.

"Then tell me where," Alexis demanded.

"Kiss me first."

Alexis did just that, filling his body with more delightful sensations as once more she leaned in hard. The kiss was searing; his fingers curled fitfully against her back as he melted in it. The contact ended too soon, her fingers tugging in his hair. She bit down on his bottom lip, small droplets of blood trickling delightfully in his mouth as she drew back. Her eyes opened slowly, and Alexis wobbled as she got to her feet. Barricade barely managed to sit up, his body straining against the action while his lust filled flesh begged for her to return.

She flushed, appearing more disoriented than before and suddenly unable to look at him. "I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

Alexis disappeared behind some bushes. Several long minutes went by. His mind clearing and his body beginning to lose pressure, Barricade stood. Tearing beyond the overgrowth, he found footprints leading away, but nothing else.

Alexis was gone.

* * *

Barricade told himself it was the drugs. That she wandered off and got lost. That perhaps once more, he underestimated the dosage. That somehow she saw beyond who he really was as she deduced he was not Starscream. Whatever the reason, he knew she wasn't herself, knew it from his continual scans on her. Perhaps he pushed her fragile mind into a state of havoc.

By the time her footprints disappeared, the excuses turned into an altogether different form of self-denial that was quickly turning into bitterness.

Dawn was soon to arrive, and while he was far beyond the Autobot perimeter, to even be near it any longer than he had already been, was quickly turning into a foolhardy action that would only lead to him getting caught.

Barricade terminated the holo-form, little aware that as he drove off he was being trailed by two objects from above. By the time his sensors did manage to alert him, it was several miles too late.

When the missiles came, knocking him off the road as he twisted and fell, body crashing and thumping against a hill as he pummeled hard against a tree, it was a strain to transform, even more so to stand. But his optics were functioning just perfectly, and when he saw the two Seekers landing and then coming straight for him, he didn't even get a chance to summon his blaster. Yet at that proximity with their weapons that action would have done no good anyway.

Fighting one Seeker was dangerous enough, fighting two; few had ever survived to even qualify at giving that occasion a name.

They came forward with steps slow and sure.

"You were right, Thundercracker," Skywarp chirped. "He _was_ nearby. Now, do you want to dismantle him, or should I? Or do you want to make it a team effort?" He laughed at that, obviously greatly amused.

Barricade spoke up, "If this is about Starscream, I had nothing to do with that. I..."

Thundercracker's fist shot forward. Barricade was thrust back in slow motion before slamming against another tree. The bark split and broke in two, his momentum decreasing as he spun in midair before plummeting down and awkwardly landing on his side.

"Starscream had a list." The voice hovered around, twirling and jumping about his body. The sensation was a dizzying one, causing Barricade's mainframe to crackle. "You were number three on things to wrap up in case of his untimely death."

"But now that you mention it, knowing that you did aid in Starscream's capture is worthy enough of a reason on its own. Either case, the penalty is _death_."

Barricade expected to fight, to speak back, anything except for everything to be over so quickly. And when he felt a blade tearing through his armor, piercing his spark chamber and twisting hard, he was only alive long enough to hear Thundercracker speak.

"You clean up, I'm going after the girl."

And with that the existence of Barricade was at an end.


	26. Quest

Their meetings started out innocently enough. Ratchet guiding Mikaela through her pregnancy as not only did he provide support but needed knowledge as well.

And when the abnormal behaviors of her pregnancy were discovered, he comforted her and promised everything would be OK. And who didn't want to hear that? Especially after waking up one day with a belly extended further than it should have been. Rapid growth, that was what Ratchet put it down to, calculations made in mere seconds as with a tight frown on his face, he let her know that her child, the innocent growth within, was going to be coming a lot sooner. He then predicated a time frame that wasn't even a month away.

At that point Mikaela was beyond being shocked. All she could do was laugh, hand pressing softly against her belly as she felt her baby move.

Coming with complaints of discomfort was when the massages began. Coming with complaints about her difficulty to sleep, he took the time to talk. They tried to get to the bottom of it, something that wasn't easy since she didn't reveal all that she had dreamt about due to the AllSpark.

Perhaps it was the third night she came to him, or the fourth, but even with him watching carefully over Alexis, who had just been rescued, Ratchet made a pronounced effort to be there for Mikaela. Taking her for a ride, she woke up the next morning snug inside the medic on his back-seat, vividly aware that it was the best she had slept in some time.

And for some reason, she felt guilty. More so when she made her way back home and slipped under the comforter, unable to snuggle up to her husband as she heard the voice of Ratchet, his soothing voice wandering through her mind with his face spread out before her.

Mikaela couldn't stop thinking about him, the medic constantly on her brain. It wasn't exactly lust, but some sort of need that penetrated to the quick. Taking advantage of her, as even in her subconscious dreams came that dealt with pleasure and comfort and the feeling of being safe, Sam nowhere in them.

The guilt grew.

And it didn't help in the least that she could sense the Autobots now. A strange awareness there that had not been before, as she felt their unique energy signatures as if the sound of one's voice. She wondered if that was what Alexis felt, and what she spoke of. And if it was, why she never mentioned how utterly compelling it could be; a song as potent as the fabled sirens.

She tried to pray the thoughts away, and tried to push them back. But she was new at all the spiritual stuff, and without Alexis there to help her, or to talk to, she found herself closing off, feelings and emotions trapped as she punished herself with internal chidings.

The worst part was that she was sure Ratchet knew. Knew that when he touched her, her heart sped up and raced inside, betraying everything that Mikaela was trying so desperately to deny. She fought to think of Sam and to stop whatever was trying to happen.

Until one day, looking up at Ratchet, his digit extended and gently brushing against her large stomach, she caught something that she was the master of identifying. The expression wasn't exactly desire, but it was related, an emotion that from the medic, had Mikaela both exited and frightened. She wondered, even as she choked on her own excuse for words as she ran out of the medical bay, if they hadn't spent so much time together of late, if she would have never known that the medic thought of her than much more than an apprentice and a friend.

That discovery left her flabbergasted. Body pressing tight against the nearest wall, she breathed hard. This wasn't happening again. Not now, she was more mature; she was. And she wasn't doing it again. She was with Sam. She was _married_ to Sam. He was enough for her. He was _all_ she needed. He was the father of her unborn child.

Carefully, she slunk her body down. Hands covering her face as she shook her head. Turning fourteen she discovered her power over boys and even men. She was never disillusioned about her own beauty, she had certainly been told of it often enough. So, when she easily attracted the opposite sex, she didn't really think much of it. Didn't think much of the fact that no matter how she felt when a relationship first started, she always became bored or just disgusted, her boyfriend switched out for a new one before she started the relationship cycle again.

Only twice did she ever truly feel something for any of them. The boy she lost her virginity to and Sam. She was settled and content, more than just happy but deeply satisfied. The problems didn't matter, not really, not as long as she had Sam.

Yes, she had been attracted to Ratchet, but it was only that. Something she knew of, but didn't dwell on. Why now that she was pregnant was he something that saturated her very being?

Struggling to stand, she paced slowly forward. She needed to talk to someone, but she felt so ashamed, so bitter at her own lack of stability.

Mikaela didn't need this now. But the first thing she was going to have to do, whether she wanted to or not, was to break her ties off with Ratchet. Whatever was going on within her at the moment, she would not let it destroy what she had with Sam. Temptation or not, it would remain just that.

She would _not_ fall.

* * *

Three days was what it took for Thundercracker to catch up with Alexis. If Skywarp hadn't contacted him, letting him know that she was on a motorcycle, it would have surely taken longer.

He did not know how the human managed to evade his sensors, but she did. And when he finally found her and trailed behind at a distance, he marveled at her ability to evade Decepticon forces.

There was determination in her and a purpose, a destination that she was heading for. He watched her forsake sleep and food. Observing her further, even as he realized that he did not know her well enough to derive any sort of accurate assumption, he was still pretty sure that her behavior as fixed as it was couldn't have been normal.

When he decided to make himself known, landing before the girl as her eyes wandered slowly up his frame before settling dully on his optics, he was sure more than ever that whatever was driving the human was taking its toll, draining and stealing her health. She did not look well. And the way she looked at him, it was not as before, there was nothing, no recognition, nothing. Just a stare that while fixed did not seem to identify that he was there. The human was lost in a world of shadows.

He sat there during the night, and continued to sit there as she curled up by her bike and fell asleep, her body moving fitfully as she dreamed. Thundercracker should have taken her back when he had the chance. For coming on-line the next morning from a recharge that he was obviously in need of, but had not been meaning to have, he found the girl gone.

Fortunately, he was not so inefficient that he hadn't tagged the human. Tracking her was a simple enough task. And track her, he did, following behind as he observed. Days turned into a week.

He long abandoned the idea that what he was doing was peculiar. And Thundercracker decided some time ago that he was not going to take her back. If he did the Autobots would only surround her once more in their inefficient manner as before. And whatever the human was doing, whatever reason she had left the Autobot's base for; he knew as he watched and observed and followed, that she had to do.

Thundercracker made sure she had food. Dropping it off as she slept, he made sure not to disturb her, making equally sure that she ate it. She did numbly and instinctively. Alexis fed, slept and bathed herself as if some routine she was forced to follow.

The first time he saw Alexis taking off her clothes, stripping to smaller versions of cloth underneath before walking into a small pond, his optics had wandered down her frame, curious of the nature of her body and the strange curves that were suddenly very evident.

There was a scar on her belly above the lower cloth that covered her, a faint mesh of flesh that looked strikingly like a blaster wound. But he discarded that thought, if she had been hit by such a weapon, she would not have survived. She was so small he realized. Without her extra layers of clothes, she looked fragile and breakable. The human's hand flashing up as she moved, his optics wandered to her wrist. He took the time to identify the marks of a Decepticon symbol, wondering as he did, why he never really noticed it before.

When she suddenly stretched, her back arching and hair falling wetly against her shoulders as she rubbed her shoulders with tiny fingers, he got the impression that watching her as she did that was somehow unfitting. A thought, that even as he backed away and averted his optics, had him chuckling. For since when did he ever consider the privacy of a human? But Thundercracker never watched her again during her cleaning cycle after that.

During the second week of trailing behind, watching as she nearly collapsed off the motorcycle when stopping for the night, he approached her again.

Enough, he decided, was enough.

"Where do you think you are going, human?"

There was no answer, and after figuring out that she wasn't sleeping, but had in actuality passed out, he moved forward carefully, poking her softly with a digit as he rolled her body around.

Her skin glimmered. The touch of her flesh was hot, even through her apparel. She was sick, whether from exhaustion or from a physical aliment, he did not know human anatomy enough to tell. Either way, her journey, no matter how important to her, was over.

"I'm taking you back, human."

As if his words were some sort of stimulant her eyes flashed open, and for the first time since he began following her, he saw her as she had been. Only this time she was vulnerable and scared. Her eyes blinking fast, liquid began to fall, trailing aimlessly down her face to crash off her chin. Alexis' body began to shake, her hand finding his digit as she held on tight. Flinching at her reaction he nearly pulled back. Some other unrefined instinct kept the digit in place though, allowing her to sob as he watched. Familiar metal slid against TC. His optics took in her cuffed weapon up close, one that held the faint signature of Starscream himself. Did she know the object she was wearing as protection was made of his fellow trinemate's armor?

Suddenly, just as it began, the crying stopped. The girl pulled her touch back before she pushed his digit away.

"_No_."

Only the one word was spoken. A faint articulation that crashed out of her lips and stumbled into the air as it crackled with her strained voice. And then she was looking at him, those eyes of hers catching his optics and holding on tight. Thundercracker should have looked away. He should have rejected the command as he defied whatever enigmatic purpose the girl's journey had. But it was more than determination that was driving her. It was an obsession, something that swelled in those liquid emeralds of her, a force within them that demanded his intrusion upon her quest end.

TC didn't need to be a medic to see the strain upon her, and that she was suffering. Whatever was forcing her to act as she was, was going to kill her. He knew that, felt that, and yet he stepped back, his optics locked on her to the very last moment that he took off, leaving the girl behind to finish what she started.


	27. Resolve

Bumblebee didn't go after Alexis. Even if it had been an order by Optimus that was not the reason he didn't go. He forced himself not to act and not to drop everything he was attending to when she disappeared from the medical ward.

The decision wasn't easy. Nor did it align with his spark. But it was the first thing he did since Alexis had told him that Starscream was to be her mate, that he acted as he needed to instead of how he wanted to.

He was going to try to let her go.

And Sam needed him as did Mikaela. And perhaps when the child was born the youngling would need him as well. Bumblebee knew if he forced himself to put all he felt and clung to about Alexis away that the hurt of love would have to fade and be swallowed up by the purpose he would make sure filled him beyond all else.

For it was all that he was meant to have.

Bee surprised even himself when he grieved at the announcement of Starscream's death. Yet of course, he knew it was for Alexis, knew it was because she would suffer and more than the scout ever wanted her to.

She remained unconscious the whole trip back to base. And while Bee had been able to stay nearby as Ratchet treated her, he was not to see Alexis again until several days later. And when he finally believed the opportunity to be there for her had arrived, Thundercracker appeared on the scene, snatching the girl away, leaving the scout behind with the sense of bile repetition. Yet again he watched the girl leave him behind for a Seeker.

Bumblebee remembered returning to base. He had been prepared to sulk and contemplate the meaning of things only to have found Sam waiting for him in his quarters.

"Been a long night?" Sam asked.

Bee nodded his head, door panels lifting as he stretched restlessly.

"Manage to see Alexis yet?"

Bumblebee shook his head. Sitting down by the side of the couch Sam was sitting on, pushing his back hard into the wall, he strained to vent air through his intakes.

"I never liked the Decepticon," Sam said honestly, "but no one deserves to be dismantled by Megatron. Mikaela says that Alexis will probably never..." Sam suddenly stopped, eyes widening as he gulped while his face reddened. "I mean, that is, I am sure when she is ready for us to be there for her, she will let us know."

"Thundercracker took her," Bee announced despondently.

Sam did a double take, head flinching backwards as he blinked hard. "What? Why?"

"He took her back to the Seeker's base. I would assume to watch over her."

"But you don't know for sure." Sam got to his feet. "We need to make sure. I've seen the way that dude looks at Alexis sometimes. He isn't exactly pleased with her."

"Something has changed."

"What could possibly change?"

Bee cringed. "Responsibility. Now that Starscream is dead it is up to Skywarp and Thundercracker to look after her. She is... _was,_" he corrected, _"_Starscream's mate. Alexis' welfare is now up to them."

"Says who?" Sam questioned bitterly. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Those two haven't been on Earth long enough to know how to deal with humans."

Bee shrugged and tried hard to sound restrained. His emotions tugged below the surface while he struggled. "Ratchet will make sure she is okay. I have no doubt of that. And to go to the Seeker's base at such a time would only cause... problems."

"How can you be so calm about it? What is your problem? I mean this is Alexis, we are talking about and..." Sam's voice fell away when Bumblebee hunched forward, tremors going through his frame. Bee felt Sam move closer, settling down beside him as he patted his leg. "Man I'm sorry. Here I am riding you about Alexis when... when of course, you are thinking about her, we all are. I just... I just sometimes forget how things can happen around here that just don't seem normal and that don't seem right, but are how they have to be."

Sam went on, "Mikaela wanted Alexis to stay with us, but I am sure her parents want her with them. Once they get wind of what Thundercracker has done, I am sure they will get her."

Soon enough they dropped the topic, their conversation drifting when Sam came to the real purpose of him being there, his wife.

* * *

A couple of weeks later the fact that Barricade had been near their perimeter the night Alexis disappeared came to light. Also data was revealed that the medical ward's video feeds had been tampered with, and that two certain Seekers left the base not long after Alexis.

Bumblebee finally was taken off guard duty. His punishment paid in full; the scout was given duties that were once more up to his training. Perhaps he should have excused himself when Optimus requested that he accompany him to the Seeker's headquarters the very next day, but he didn't. The little voice inside his head that told him it could be a test of some sort also had him not speaking up.

Prime arriving, the Seeker's main room cleared of all fliers. The three made their way through the now empty hall to a table where they sat down.

"May I ask where Thundercracker is?" Optimus inquired.

Bee unintentionally leaned forward while anticipating the answer.

Skywarp shrugged, his head tilting to the side as he analyzed the two Autobots with critical optics.

"Perhaps you are unaware..." Optimus paused, stretching out his words as he made the Seeker await the next. "That we _know_ on the night of the twelfth that you and Thundercracker left the base. And that during that time, Barricade was also in the vicinity. So I ask you, what was your purpose in meeting up with Megatron's hunter?"

The Seeker's face changed minutely until in just a couple nano-clicks he was guffawing hysterically. Catching Optimus' firm gaze, he tensed the laughter dying away as he got out of his chair. Backing up, he settled comfortably on the far side of table.

His tone low with barely suppressed aggression, Skywarp spoke, "And why would you ever believe we had any sort of meeting with Barricade?"

Prime leaned forward, head leaning on one of his closed fists. "Do you know he has _intentions_ concerning Alexis? Or that evidence is pointing to the fact that it was _he_ who took her?"

Chills went up Bumblebee's plating. Dread pushing through his spark as guilt came willingly forth. After all, he didn't go after her. Had believed that, had believed that... he didn't know what he believed anymore.

Even despite his own shock, the scout caught the flicker of surprise in Skywarp's optics, a glimmer of revelation that the Seeker managed to hide away, but not quickly enough.

"Impossible. She was not with Barricade when we found him!" Realizing his mistake, Skywarp dimmed his optics, anger simmering in them as if it was their fault that he spoke.

"We believe he took her while using a holo-form, with obvious intentions of meeting up with his true self," Optimus said, his tone fettered with distrust.

"She was not there," Skywarp repeated while his voice rumbled. "And I would say to confirm that with Barricade, but after blasting him off the road..." The Seeker tensed, knowing yet again, he just said too much.

Bee found his chair screeching back as he lunged to his feet. He took four steps, his blaster drawn; he aimed it at the Seeker.

"She could have been inside him!" Bumblebee bellowed with emotion. "He could have taken Alexis, could have been riding with her. And you, you arrogant son of a glitch have just admitted to hurting her, or even worse... killing her!

"Impossible." The Seeker swiped the weapon easily away as he stood and stretched to his full height. Undaunted, the scout brought it back forward. "I would know her energy signature anywhere." Skywarp leaned forward as the drawn blaster scraped against his cockpit. He lowered his vocals, a twinkle of ill-humor building behind his optics. "Particularly after she and Starscream mated... quite vigorously."

Bumblebee immediately felt as if his entire body was trembling. So many emotions were in play that anyone knowing what he felt and observing how he stood would have truly been amazed. Fortunately, a thinly veiled self-control took over, masking the hurt that he would save for later.

Skywarp raised his voice, directing his words at Optimus. "I suggest you order your scout to put away his little toy, or I may just get _offended_."

"You forget whose base you are on. You are a guest here and with that comes responsibilities."

"Spare me, Optimus. If you didn't need us so badly you would have never agreed to us being here. And whether we are on _your_ base or not, there are some duties that no matter how low we have fallen, we shall still see through." Skywarp's optics diverting down to the scout, he continued. His words were directed at Bee, "Again, she was _not_ with Barricade." He looked to be about ready to explain why, but tilted his chin plate upwards with defiance instead. "The incompetence of you Autobots astounds even me. I mean losing track of a human? One who even returned to base to pick up a means of transport? Just how inefficient are you?"

Bumblebee felt a hand on his shoulder panel. Slowly, begrudgingly, he lowered his weapon. The blaster folded back into his hand as he took a step back.

Optimus traded places with Bee. Skywarp uneasily backed up one step before standing firm.

Prime spoke slowly, "I assume then, by your lack of mention of Thundercracker, that he is after Alexandra? I expected retribution on both your parts for what happened to Starscream, but I know that Thundercracker wouldn't have left you behind. So, tell me exactly what your wingmate is up to."

"I _will_ tell you something," Skywarp said insolently, "but only because Thundercracker just informed me I could divulge such information. The girl _is_ alive, but that is all I am permitted to say. Also, that your... _dubious_ responsibility for the human is at an end."

* * *

"I apologize, Optimus. I lost it back there." Bumblebee felt like he needed to say more, but his attention was waylaid with trying to keep up with Prime's quick pace.

"Yes, Bumblebee, I would say that you did," Prime agreed.

Optimus began to slow down once the Seeker's base was a good distance away. They had made their visit quite early, doing so before the daily activities of the base's residents commenced. The sun was not visible yet, but that didn't stop the nearby birds from chirping expectantly. They continued to curve through the near empty compound, following a perfectly laid path back to the Operations building.

"If you would like to put me back on guard duty, I understand," Bee let his commanding officer know. However, he felt no guilt for his actions. Although if he did feel any, it was that he didn't take his actions even further toward the supercilious Seeker.

"No, Bee. There will be no disciplinary action. Not when I considered something similar."

"Sir?"

Prime kept his focus before him, a tenuous smile creeping up his plating. "Frankly, I was imagining my fist parked through his cockpit, or breaking his vocal box in two." The humor dissipated, Prime's words easing into seriousness. "We were lucky to get what we did out of the Seeker. If that had been Thundercracker or Starscream, they would have made Skywarp's half answers look like open revelations. However, we can now assume that Barricade has been terminated. Otherwise, Skywarp would have surely taunted a supposed alliance between them, anything to keep us guessing."

"And Alexis? I don't understand why she doesn't return," he said with subtle anxiety.

"The video feed in the garage shows that she left willingly," Prime informed him.

Bumblebee didn't know of that, and he couldn't help but wonder what else he wasn't being told. But there was no reason for Optimus to hide anything.

"So it was known that she returned?"

Prime nodded his head forward.

"And no one went after her then?"

"She requested to be left alone."

"She... she requested, sir? Of whom?" Bumblebee asked, suddenly very baffled.

"Prowl."

"And?"

Prime vented air, his tone sympathetic, "And I decided to respect her request. She is capable of contacting us at anytime if need be. And having her followed, even if it did ease my spark, only made matters worse."

With that Optimus left Bumblebee outside the Operation's building. The contemplative scout fumbled aimlessly with his thoughts.

Bumblebee concluded quickly enough that he could still go after Alexis. Surely, if anyone could pick up her signal, he could. It wasn't as if those Seekers had the monopoly on knowing her energy reading. After all, it was a part of his matrix and delicately interwoven in his very spark.

But something was stopping him from acting. And when he felt a familiar hand resting on his leg and found Mikaela looking at him with those affection eyes of hers, her belly brushing passed his plating as he caught the beating of the unborn child's heart, he made up his processor. They needed him here. Bumblebee didn't feel Alexis was in mortal danger and knew that she wasn't alone. He needed to stay away and stay separated from Alexis. If he was near Alexis in her time of great vulnerability, he would have no other option but to give everything he was and sacrifice whatever it took so that she could get through it. And while he still considered doing so as Mikaela led him away, that inclination had already turned into some sort of dark, lost dream that would never come true.


	28. Ambulate

"Sam, Sam! Wake up!"

"What?" Sam said groggily. He sat up and turned on a light. His eyes widened, heart racing. Mikaela was breathing heavily on the edge of the bed. Her hands were placed firmly on each side of her body, pressing down hard into the mattress, her brows fused upwards.

"It's time," she managed between quick breaths.

And with that, he rolled out of bed, falling flat on his back as air gushed out of his body.

"Sam?"

All he could do was blink.

* * *

The baby arrived weighing six pounds and four ounces. Sam's misconceptions about the child were quickly forgotten when he held the newborn. A very small, very flat faced boy who after gripping firmly to his finger looked him straight in the eyes. There was such a look of awareness in those small, dark depths that happiness unlike anything he had felt in all his years throttled Sam quick and hard.

Family. He had a family.

Cindy, the wife of Pastor Michael, assisted in the delivery. She was an affable woman and nurse who for the last three weeks had been watching and helping Mika with her pregnancy.

"I would feel more comfortable if I had a woman helping me." Had been Mikaela's only explanation about Cindy's sudden arrival into their lives. A distressed expression in her eyes waylaid the questions on his lips.

That was when Ratchet stopped coming by. The Autobot medic had been with the two and supporting them since the start of the pregnancy. Sam thought he had been doing a rather awesome job. But whenever he brought the medic's name up, his wife would pale, fear flashing in her tight closed mouth before she changed the subject.

Did something happen between the two? That was the only explanation. And since his wife was unwilling or unable to give him any answers, Sam went to Ratchet.

But Ratchet had been as confused as Sam, or so he thought at first. The longer their conversation went on; the more Sam had been aware that something was being held back, something that created suspicion in Sam. For the first time since he had met the Autobots, he started to see a line that was supposed to separate their worlds.

But Sam had not come that far to be pushed aside with half answers and over saturated words that hid truths.

"Ratchet," Sam said calmly, interrupting the medic, "you know why she chose someone else. Whatever the reason is, I _want_ to know."

Suddenly, the pretenses were dropped. Uncertainty emerged in the medic, such a strange occurrence that Sam's suspicion doubled.

"That, Sam, you will have to ask Mikaela," was the medic's prolonged reply.

"So you _do_ know."

Ratchet nodded his head forward, optics dimming. "I believe so."

The softness of the medic's tone had anger rising in Sam. Impatience pushed his legs upwards and down as he walked away. Sam had the strange urge to slam or throw something against the wall on his way out of the medical quarters.

His steam, however, ran out as soon as he made his way back home. When he saw Mika going through her breathing exercises with Cindy, puffing and exhaling loudly as she kept a firm hand on her belly, his resolve lessened.

Whatever it was, Sam realized then, it didn't matter. And when Mikaela wanted to, she would tell him.

But now, sitting in bed with his wife and the baby snuggled in her arms; the thoughts came back. What she said next did not help things.

"I love you, Sam. No matter what I..." she corrected herself. "No matter what happens, remember that."

Cindy came in, interrupting, "Your parents are here again, I told them that both mother and child are happy and healthy, and that you are resting now."

"Thanks," Mika smiled. "I want to see them, but later."

"Of course." The slender nurse agreed. Checking a couple of data pads, she appeared puzzled.

"Is something wrong?" Sam wanted to know.

"Nothing at all. That was just the easiest birthing I have ever done," Cindy explained with amazement.

"And that is bad?" he frowned.

"Not at all, just with everything Ratchet told me about this special child, I was prepared for, well, _special_ circumstances. Mikaela didn't even need medication for pain."

"I wasn't in any pain," Mikaela spoke up. Her hand traveled down the small expanse of her child's face, such fascination in her face that Sam snuggled closer.

Now that he looked back, it was rather easy. And over so quickly, that before he could go into his next level of panic about not knowing what to do, the sound of his son crying as he announced his arrival, filled their home.

"I mean there was discomfort, but I have had cramps worse than that," his wife added.

Cindy tucked back her pre-matured gray hair. Brown eyes narrowed in deep contemplation. Catching Sam's gaze the nurse smiled back with assurance.

That was when Ratchet appeared on the scene. Sam tensed, paying close attention to the way the medic tended to his wife. But he saw nothing unusual even as Sam displayed rather subtle signs of possessiveness.

Doing whatever tests he had been there to perform, Ratchet left. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he caught Mikaela staring at him. His hands started to shake with what he saw there, his answers in such a simple gaze. Walking out of their room, he crashed before the living room wall, tears welling in his eyes as he stared at the high ceiling above.

* * *

He put down what he felt to the after delivery high of his son, that panic and paranoia that had been there. Whatever his dark thoughts were trying to make him believe; Mikaela wouldn't ever do anything to hurt him. And as the first week shared with his new family passed by, Ratchet dropping by here and there with nothing out of the ordinary taking place, Sam started to see how foolish he had been.

And the conversation he and Mika had had certainly assured him as well. Finally, she let him know about her sudden awareness of the Cybertronians and how it was affecting her reasoning and that, with the over emotional tide that the pregnancy brought with it; she had no other option but to limit her contact with them.

Of course, the stray thought that Bumblebee was at their side the entire time, and had not been pushed away, entered Sam's mind. However, that was quickly forgotten when his new responsibility as father overshadowed whatever destructive reasoning was trying to take root in him.

Changing diapers, cleaning the house, making meals, by the time Bumblebee came over one day, catching him in his mother's borrowed apron, Sam didn't know whether to laugh hysterically or cry.

Others came to help as well, his mother, Alexis' mom, Julia, Cindy of course, and so many other faces that people seemed to blur one into the other. He was grateful for the meals and grateful when he was given opportunities for naps. Sleeping away the day, he was not even bothered anymore when Zade Cal Espirit Witwicky woke up every several hours and demanded to be fed.

His father joked that they might as well add his name to the child's, or at the least his grandfather's. And while it had actually been considered, the thought of calling his boy, Archibald, or even Archie, made him see visions of his son being chided and teased. Life was hard enough without having your name as leverage for harassment.

Shooed out of his home, Sam was forced to get air. He walked through the base, wandering feet taking him here and there. It was the first time he had been out of the house since his son was born, and everything looked better somehow. Sam walked with a spring in his step and a smile on his mouth. Making his way to the Operation's building, he decided to see Optimus. Taking a shortcut, he pushed through the narrow passage between two buildings.

The sounds of footfalls following behind didn't mean anything. Nor was he alarmed when they picked up the pace. Sam was alarmed when someone grabbed him from behind, a hand tightly clinging to his hair, his face pushed forward and crashing against the wall. Lights exploding before his eyes, and he found himself oddly fascinated by the bright crimson that splattered on the wall. Struggling to stand he was kicked on the back of his leg. Sam's shoulder grabbed once more, he felt something small and sharp enter his neck.

Darkness spreading, he felt himself being dragged off while the ground clawed at his unprotected skin.

* * *

"Wake up!"

Someone struck him hard and by the tenderness of his face, Sam was sure it wasn't the first time. Waking up with a jolt of life, he was forced back down to a chair that he was tied to. Wiggling his hands, he found them enclosed in some sort of thin strap. No one was before him as he expected. A small light teetered high above that illuminated what looked to be one of the bases many storage facilities.

"Stop struggling. The more you do, the more you will hurt yourself."

Relief came, but not the revelation of the oddity in regards to whose voice he heard. His brain was twisted. He couldn't think straight. The world was still spinning and turning. Sam felt as if he was on sort of axial, stuck in the middle of it as everything flashed in and out.

"Alexis?"

Saying her name out loud was when he realized how wrong it was. He had not seen the girl in well over a month, not since she left after Starscream had been killed. But Sam wanted to believe, no matter how far fetched it was, that Alexis came back and just in time to help. However, even he saw a problem with that.

"Finally. What a weak body you humans have. A little tap, little prick and your out. I am surprised so many of you manage to survive."

Sam had never seen LX for himself, but he knew it was her instantly. She had an unnatural lightness to her tread along with a predatory expression in those strangely flashing eyes. She wasn't even trying to deceive him as far as who she was and that made him gulp tightly. Once more, he struggled against his bonds.

"What do you want?" His speech was garbled, and his mouth tasted of copper. Dried blood tickled his flesh while a throbbing ache grew behind both his eyes.

"Simple." She smiled sweetly, hand patting his shoulder gently. LX leaned in before her voice lowered with calculated malice. "You are going to help me gain access to the information I need. You do that, and I won't kill you. If you try to escape, if you try to warn anyone or even attempt at being clever, I will make sure you suffer before I kill you. And your family... I _won't _forget them either." The discordant smile remained on her face, her hard eyes studying him.

Backing up, LX drew the light around her. Unnatural shadows flowed behind her body and grew. A knife appeared in her hand before she disappeared behind him. The blade cut through his restraints, deliberately nicking him in the process.

"Now _stand_, Sam," she ordered forcefully. "We have work to do."

* * *

"Something is going on." Windglider shifted on his berth. His optics swiped over his small room before finding the steady gaze of his roommate and friend, Foresight. "I haven't seen Starscream or Thundercracker in many a cycle. You think they are planning something?"

"If they were, you would be the _last_ to know," Foresight said truthfully. "Besides, there is a rumor going around that Starscream has been terminated."

Windglider startled at that. Rising from his berth, he jumped down. "Impossible, Starscream will never die!"

The entire reason for him even joining the venture to Earth was due to the Supreme Air Commander. For so long, even before he got his first pair of wings, he had heard rumors of the Seeker. Then he sought out new stories and then, putting all the information he found together; he managed to correlate Starscream's relative position. It had been Foresight that stopped him from going after the elite Seeker.

"You would be foolish to blow away your non-affiliated status, especially considering you probably wouldn't get as close as a wingspan before the Seeker. Not to mention you would ultimately be working for Megatron. And everyone knows that 'Con only has one thing in mind: galaxy domination and to the pit with any mech that stands in his way."

"Surely the rumors can't be that bad," Windglider argued. "Decepticons are merely fighting for their right to survive."

"That's Decepticon propaganda and you now it. Stop being soft sparked. Say that you did eventually join up... even against all odds worked with the Supreme Air Commander. You think all he would be teaching you is how to fly? They don't call him the decimater for nothing. And what is the point of learning new flight skills when the first chance you got he would use you for the only thing you would be good for, a shield."

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to argue against that. But when the news came that Starscream was looking for fliers, nothing his prudent friend said was able to deter him from trying to join up with the Seeker. And when Skywarp and Thundercracker appeared on the scene, completing the infamous Trine as the three stood wing to wing, it took all that Windglider had been capable of not to shriek out in extreme excitement as he bounced off the walls.

But joining up was not as simple as all that. And he had been nearly deflated entirely when the Seekers finally looked him over. Windglider saw the utter incredulity in their scrutinizing optics. Standing firm, giving over his data pad that held all his statistics on it, he nearly burst his vents when they agreed to give him a try.

So he was small for his size. But he was fast. And being left on his own since a sparkling made him capable. Meeting Foresight only increased his knowledge and skill, since once more he had to acclimate to a totally different existence altogether.

While Windglider took on the alt form of a Berilion dart hybrid, Sight was a Cybertronian mid-plane. His friend was larger and capable of stunning, near impossible maneuvers that made sense when he finally revealed that he had enhanced cognition processors.

The two had been together for longer than either could remember. So, Windglider was not surprised when Foresight joined him on his mission to get picked by Starscream. His friend spouting that he had to to make sure Wind didn't get himself slagged.

Now here the two were on Earth, a strange planet with tremulous air currents and steady bouts of shifting weather. He had to work harder than ever before to even make it that far. On several occasions during the tests the Supreme Trine threw at the hopeful recruits, he had thought failure was to be his conclusion. But his long-sought ambition was powerful enough to keep him going. The idea of flying along side Starscream one day fueled his drive.

"Who are you going to obsess over next now that Starscream is gone?" Foresight looked at him with the corner of his mouthpiece shifting ever so slightly upwards.

"Stop being an aft. Its just a rumor. Starscream is not dead."

"And if he is?"

"He isn't!" he said more firmly, emphasizing his words with a blast from his canon. The shot ricocheted off the thick walls before it fizzled, falling down on the floor it twisted, turned and then stilled.

Both their coms went off.

"Skywarp to Foresight and Windglider. Report to me _immediately_."

Foresight shrugged before easily kicking the missile under the nearest berth. Smoke trailed behind the small canister, and the stench of acid filled the bunker.

"Well." Windglider looked at the mid-plane, his friend already shaking his head in perturbation at his overly enthusiastic mood. "What are you waiting for! We have been summoned!" he chirped.

"Yip, hurrah," Sight said dryly. "Someday remind me why I feel the need to watch out for your aft."

* * *

He wasn't nervous. He _wasn't_. It wasn't befitting anyone who had survived the trials of the Seekers, or a flier who managed to join their ranks.

Windglider snapped to attention. OK. He _was_ nervous. And the way the Seeker was analyzing the two, stripping them to their base components as his optics surged, was enough for the small dart to tense all the way down to his pediforms.

"I have something for the two of you to do for me."

Skywarp paused. His hands shifted behind his back before his impressive cockpit pushed forward. "You will be delivering a message to Thundercracker," he said. "Behind Decepticon lines," he added ominously. "And you will be leaving immediately. Do not deviate from my plan and do not get slagged. Just get in and out and there will be a barrel of high grade for each of you upon your return."

Without wasting any more words, Skywarp uploaded the encrypted data and instructions.

They made their way outside, stopping a moment before the ledge below.

"Wipe that grin off your face, Wind," the mid-plane demanded, "we are about to get fragged."


	29. Constrained

Alexis didn't know where she was. Nor, as her fingers went through her hair, finding it longer than usual, exactly how much time had passed.

She felt as if she had been possessed with her body borrowed and used as she was forced to move. Sitting there, eyes wandering up to the sky, patches came in. Alexis remembered leaving the base. Remembered seeing Starscream, touching, feeling and tasting Starscream only for him to morph into Barricade. He still appeared as the Seeker, but it had been as if she could see through a layer of him and see deeper as the distortion cleared long enough for Alexis to act.

That had obviously been some sort of dream.

She remembered riding and riding some more, feeling hunger and not caring, meeting new people and bypassing them as quickly as possible. She remembered Thundercracker, although she didn't know why. And remembered sleeping in strange places, her dreams mixing with what could have been reality, both intermingling to the point that she couldn't tell either apart.

Starscream was _dead_.

That thought crashed into Alexis' head like a freight train, thundering inside her skull as her body trembled. Shifting and pushing her body backwards, she leaned against the motorcycle. Alexis had the vague impression that she and the vehicle had been companions for some time. Mikaela was the one that had picked out the thing and reconfigured it. The bike didn't need gas, hardly needed any maintenance, and as Sam said, was wickedly fast.

Sitting against it and feeling the rubber of the tires against her callused fingers, she found she was no longer frightened by the thing. Knowing whether she remembered or not, that she had broken the thing in.

Starscream was _dead_.

The words were turning into a mantra while cutting in-between her thoughts as she tried to figure out exactly what was happening. Every time she heard the three words; her heart would quake, and her eyes dim as the air crashed through her lungs.

Forcing herself through the fuzz, Alexis stood awkwardly to her feet. Sitting down on the bike, she slid her hands over the interface screen, information splashed by.

She had been gone for over two months. So many miles traveled; state lines crossed, and none of it remembered. Her weapon was on her wrist. The acumentor snugly attached, neither had been used though. Alexis was frightened. And finding out where she was nor seeing how far she had traveled alleviated any of the tension.

Preparing to open a communications line, her actions were stalled. Life around her suddenly spilled into her mind when her brain relayed that she was not alone.

She had been around enough Autobots and Decepticons to know that each had their own unique signal structure, and when she realized that she was surrounded, right smack in the middle of dozen upon dozen Decepticons, the fear grew.

Just where did she lead herself to?

* * *

In the middle of a Decepticon stronghold, that's where. Alexis felt as if she was suffocating by the sheer numbers. They were here and there, to the right and left. Somehow, she had navigated right into the middle and then snapped back into consciousness, left with no data except where she was and how much time had gone by, neither which were helpful.

Breathing in and exhaling, Alexis drummed out the Decepticon's presence with her own thoughts. More memories flowed through. She was starting to believe that Thundercracker had not been her imagination. That the conversation she had with Prowl did take place. That Mikaela, her family, Sam and so many others really did try to contact her, and that she did turn off her communication line, leaving herself vulnerable and alone.

That action was foolish and stupid. However, she was starting to understand why she did such a thing. The fear came back into play, building upon what was already there as it rebounded and scratched up her flesh. There was a revelation as well, an intuition that was not exactly a thought but an inclination.

Her journey wasn't over. And now conscious and aware it was up to her to finish it. But she felt weak, pathetic really. And exposed and confused and suffering as if Starscream just left.

Alexis wanted to scream and to cry, to ask and beg the heavens above why it was happening to her, and why she had to resume. Why was she even alive? Why was she breathing? Her heart was constrained within her chest, a rapid pumping inside her ears leaving her swaying back and forth as she had the odd sensation that she was dying. That one more breath, maybe two, and that tight feeling inside her would break and fall away, taking her along with it.

But blinking rapidly, the feeling remained. She couldn't help but feel the longer she stayed where she was the greater her chances were for being found. And yet she couldn't move. Alexis' emotions were disabling her motor functions, the tension in her spine traveling into her legs making them heavy and non-functioning.

She sought for help and prayed for clarity, but it only got worse. Closing her eyes and then slowly pinching them back open, the bright world she was in turned black while dots played across her vision. Moving her hands forward, Alexis grabbed tightly onto the bike's handles.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Again. Repeat.

Alexis found she wanted to dive straight forward into the blackness, anything to take away the distorted fuzziness that soaked her mind and body.

By the time she could see again, Alexis was lying on her back and uncomfortably splayed along scratchy grass. Above her were trees with tall branches that swayed back and forth. The leaves blew softly in the wind around her; a couple of stray ones broke loose and fell down.

Alexis stayed where she was for hours. She willed herself to stop thinking about Starscream, but she couldn't. Her brain was on repeat and nothing, not anything she tried to think of would circumvent the ache. Except for an undefined goal that made her finally get up and eat a little as she waited for night to fall.

* * *

Again, she felt pathetic. The fear was still around Alexis as if a cloak. It dispelled in small intervals as she concluded that she didn't really care if she survived what was to come. So that was what had her walking through the trees and walking through and around a path that seemed embedded in her head.

Alexis expected the Decepticons to be aware of her presence a lot sooner. And when she entered the camp and walked by a bunch of dirty, rather hungry and forlorn looking humans that stopped what they were busily doing as she freely walked into the compound, she had a moment of panic and a rush of desperation.

Loud, clamoring voices began. The Decepticons downed her and tried to get her weapon off. Giving up, Alexis found herself caged. An irrational smile wavered on her lips as she watched the world as it rocked slowly by. The one carrying her shouted orders. A path cleared; Alexis was taken away.

* * *

Alexis never considered herself a lonely person. Perhaps because she was used to depending on herself. Being an only child she focused on her grades and not social events. As technology increased she had found she didn't even have to go to school, most of her college courses taken right at home on her computer. Not that that lasted long, for a couple of months later Diana had been killed and that changed everything.

That was the first time she became aware of what being lonely truly was. But even that tragedy could not compare to how she felt when Starscream had been killed. Only days they had been bonded, and even with the Seeker diluting their connection near the end, it was all-encompassing. Taking what were two and remolding it into an intimacy that left her with more than Alexis could have ever been on her own.

But now with Starscream gone, in the darkest corner of her thoughts she almost wished they never met. For how was anyone supposed to survive such a separation? Feeling all that he was, and all that she could be, seeing and feeling their futures, hopes and ambitions combined, only for everything to be ripped away with the emptiness of her own mind leaving her breathless.

Had they become too close? Was the connection she had with the Seeker not allowed? Why was she allowed to fall in love and to feel loved only to be left abandoned and broken? Why Starscream? Why him? And how was she to keep going? And what was keeping her here? Was life nothing more than suffering and surviving? Wasn't she promised more?

Nothing, she had nothing. Her parents would survive without her. Mikaela, Sam and Julia would make it. And Bumblebee, well, they had been drifting apart since Starscream returned. He would grieve perhaps, but in the end, he would see she was not worth all that he thought. Bee did have the strange ability of building her up as more than she was.

Satisfied with her morose thoughts, she turned her attention to the Cybertronian that was holding her, but then found she didn't really care. Still lying down, Alexis kept her view upwards. She was obviously being taken somewhere in particular. The closer they came to their destination, the more unusual she felt. Yet Alexis wasn't frightened anymore, not like she had been, and even as she felt deplorable for accepting the situation she was in, apathy hugged her tight.

It was better not to feel, better not to know and better not to care.

But why, when they came to a stop, the mech swiping his hand forward as a door slid open, did her heart jump, pounding awake as she found the strength to sit up? After entering the building, the 'Con lifted the cage up high. Alexis' view changed.

"We caught a human trespasser, sir," he informed someone.

The small enclosure she was in swayed dangerously back and forth, her body rolled along with it while bruises formed easily. She didn't even notice when it finally stilled, her focus was elsewhere. The Decepticon's words were directed at a chair that was turned away from them.

"Commander?"

"I heard you!" a voice rasped with impatience.

Alexis' heart sped up and pumped so hard that she felt it rippling underneath her hands that were now molded tightly against the cage's bars.

"You dare interrupt what I was doing to tell me such a thing? Just send it to the mines with the rest of the human filth."

The mech holding Alexis cautiously continued, "Actually, sir this one has a reward out for it."

"Again, why should this be a concern of mine?" The commander swiveled his chair around.

Could the world stop? Could reality freeze into one frame and stay there? Alexis couldn't breath and couldn't comprehend, couldn't no matter what her eyes were telling her, nor her ears, nor her heart, believe who was sitting there.

But it _was _Starscream and was who she had been traveling to get to. She now knew it and felt it and was starting to believe. She should have known. It wasn't the first time that she was so blindly driven, just not for such a long period of time.

"This creature is worth something? A _human_? Send it to the mines until I figure out what to do with it," the Seeker ordered.

The mech warned Starscream, "This creature is weak, sir. Sending it to the mines will probably kill it."

"Even better," was the Seeker's disinterested reply.

And just like that, Alexis was taken away. Her efforts dwindled and fizzled out, crossing over the lines of the worthless.

Starscream didn't know who she was.


	30. Elusive

"Stop," Starscream demanded.

Bulkload came to a sharp halt, turning to face his commander, optics straining.

"Bring the creature back."

The Decepticon did as he was told and placed the small cage on the Seeker's workstation.

"Now leave."

Bulkload looked confused. "My Lord, is that wise? This flesh creature isn't known as the Destroyer for nothing. There are rumors that she can disintegrate just by touch. And she is wearing a weapon that we were unable to get off or disable."

"Did she use it?" Starscream asked, vaguely interested.

Bulkload shook his head in the negative.

"I can handle this insignificant flesh creature." He waved the Decepticon away. "You are dismissed."

The Decepticon nodded his head forward, wary but more wary of going against his commander.

Alone, Starscream rounded about his workstation. Even before she arrived there had been pang in his spark, and now that the femme was before him and just a digit away, his spark was raging within, igniting his systems as his armor crawled.

So this was the purpose to those strange malfunctions. A disgusting human? It just wasn't possible. But the reaction he was having to the human, and the suddenness of it all was rather enticing, all that without getting a good look. Without even a digit straying against what he was sure was a small, fragile body. Starscream's curiosity won. Flipping the cage around and then opening it, the human slid out. A small bundle folded over near his largest digit.

And with the creature closer like that he could nearly taste her energy. It was an intoxicating, jarring signature that spiraled across his processor. He had never felt a human like this, or knew they were even capable of such a broadcast. But what he felt was familiar and more than that, _known_. Excitement increased even as the confusion evolved.

Rolling on to her back, the human stared up at him listlessly. Hair fanned out behind her head while she brought her legs up as one of her hands strained against her heart and rested there as she continued to stare. Recognition came for Starscream along with a rush of faint memories and experiences. He knew this human, knew her better than any mech ever would. He remembered pleasure. Remembered touch and energy sharing, remembered other things as well.

Except anything important.

Starscream didn't know _how_ he knew her. Didn't know _why_ he knew her at all. It was all just a convoluted mess of flashbacks that ended with him now pressing down closer to the female, his digit finding the flesh of her arm More memories spilled forth along with hollowed conversations and vague whispers. An intimacy was present between them that curled through his cabling and splayed out.

But the image of the girl before Starscream did not quite match up with the one in his memory banks. This one looked fragile and worn through. She had dark lines under her eyes, longer hair, her frame thin and small under the apparel. Moving his digit, he let it swallow over her body. Sensations grew as her energy levels increased. His own readily broke loose as the girl underneath him opened her mouth in a silent moan.

But what Starscream was feeling was too much too soon. And he didn't trust that. Attraction for him usually started with lust and awareness, but what he was feeling was more than just lust, but possessive and overpowering with a connection there that no matter what his processor was trying to tell him, he knew didn't happen.

Doubt grew. Paranoia multiplied. And then, putting everything together and compiling all the data, Starscream reached a conclusion. This was just one of Megatron's infamous tests. The supposed memories and encounters with the human were probably implanted.

The human female was obviously a spy.

* * *

Over the course of the next couple days Starscream made an effort to send the female away to the camps or even the mines. But one thing was made aware relatively quickly. He could not harm the human, nor allow anyone else to either.

Starscream watched her health return. Watched the color come into her cheeks and the stamina back into her frame. The steady transformation was one that he watched and recorded with interest.

The Seeker found he was doing more of his duties from his quarters while never straying far from the human. He hadn't said much, but when he spoke, she listened with awe, a faraway look appearing in her eyes as if staying where she was as she heard his voice was too much to compute.

"Explain to me again why you are marked with my signature," he demanded forcefully. He twirled the small weapon in his hand, the imploder flashing before the human. "And how in Primus' name you acquired a weapon that is made out of my own casing."

"You gave it to me. Both," she added. That curious flush returned to her cheeks. She looked up at him; her gaze wandering down his frame and then back up before straying across his cockpit.

Starscream ignored the pang in his spark along with the increase of energon flow and the creature's ability to capture his notice. His optics copied her gaze, easily taking in her small frame as she shifted with unease before tilting that delicate neck of hers to the side, pale flesh exposed to his hungry optics.

"You still contend that you are my mate? A human?" he scoffed bitterly. He brought the cage up and then shook her out. Throwing the small human-sized prison behind his back he pushed her back down on the table.

"Don't you feel this?" she implored desperately. Her eyes locked onto his optics with a firm resolve. "Could anything else explain why this is happening between us?"

He _did_ feel it, and as she brought one of her legs against the other side of his digit, his optics dimmed. Lust and desire choked his intakes, vibrations beginning along his frame as he felt the caress of the human's energy and the building of her body warmth.

"You are a spy," he asserted willfully. Consternation grew on her brow, but he ignored it. He wouldn't take it anymore, and he, Air Commander Starscream, Decepticon lord and master, did not have to. He would take what he needed. He always did.

"I don't think I care anymore whether you have been ordered to show such a response to me or not."

Starscream's energy level increased. The femme's eyes shut tightly, her small frame arching off the table as his digit pushed her back down. Energies met and collided, that warmth of hers building until all Starscream could feel was that touch upon his digit and the increasing burning of his spark.

* * *

He was just fulfilling his lust. Or so he told himself, but by the time they were done with his hands trembling and his vision shot, Starscream raged at his own response. Raged because it wasn't supposed to be like that, not with a human and a spy at that.

And as she sighed, small fingers touching his digit before she rolled over and away from his touch, he found the absence of her contact with her tiny body still so close, obscenely erotic, making everything stir once more as the Seeker reached for her again.

But he stopped himself. Angered once more, he left his quarters in haste.

* * *

He only lasted until the night fell upon the Earth. For Starscream sensed the human on the wind. The currents brought her scent and blinding pull as he returned to his quarters. The doors sliding shut behind Starscream, her presence increased. He found he didn't care anymore. He wanted the human, craved her, and whether she was playing him for a fool or not, the Seeker would make sure it was he that was left victor of whatever game she was engaging in.

"Alexandra?"

Saying her name made his wings twitch, a dull ache building that now would only surely grow. And when he found the human bathing in the makeshift tub he created, the dimness of the room playing off that fragile flesh of hers, he froze, watching with admiration, Alexis unaware of his presence.

He watched as she cleaned herself and then washed her hair, skin flashing here and there with just enough of a tease that he wanted to see more. But seeing was never enough for Starscream. By the time he entered the room, bending down as he found the wet smoothness of her naked back, Alexis startled as she pushed the front of her body against the edge of the tub. The tension was so apparent that it pulsated off of her, the innocence in the human's movements utterly compelling.

And touching her through clothing was nothing as on her exposed, heated skin. Starscream was sure with the sound of her contented sigh and the breaths coming slower, that seducing her into submission would be forthcoming.

Of course that was when his com-line went off, and when the ill-timed conversation was through, he found the female fully dressed, her head tilted to the side with some form of accusation, her cheeks a brilliant scarlet.

* * *

The more time he spent with the girl, the more the vague impressions he had of her seemed to conflict. For this girl, this Alexis, was so silent and withdrawn with a sorrow emanating around her, that while seemed to ease when he was nearby, did not seem intent on going away. And she hardly talked, only usually when he began. He tried to draw her out and tried to get her to speak. For he found he craved the voice of hers, craved how it could change and shift, could be warm or even hot, could whisper strange words of love to him that left him balking and impressed. Megatron knew how to pick them. He would give him credit for that.

"Do you still think I am a spy?"

She initiated the conversation, that was the first thing that came to Starscream. And as he shifted while turning away from his workstation as he took her in, he tensed.

"I do."

"Then why keep me around? Shouldn't you, shouldn't you _kill_ me?" Something cold and sharp swam through her eyes. "If you still think I am a spy after everything, even after it is only you that can remove my weapon besides myself, you that I love and told such things to... then kill me. Kill me right here, right now."

Starscream frowned, "Kill my little curiosity? I think not."

* * *

He couldn't figure her out. She was dealing with something that frightened and confused her. While he heard Alexis crying here and there, usually when she thought he was in recharge, he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge it. Starscream denied whatever suffering she was going through existed. It was not as if he was emotionally attached to the human.

They only shared energy that one time he had lost his control. Yet his thoughts always went back to his ill-defined, yet highly sensual memories, which always led him back to thinking of that experience. Primus knows he wanted to repeat it, but his pride wouldn't allow it, not with the inexorable thought that he was being used.

However, the abstinence from the girl didn't last long. And he found for now that as long as she touched him, he could think clearly. By the time he realized Alexis knew more about his inner workings that he had ever presumed, he was lost in the tactile contact of her engulfed and entwined in the small area in his wrist. Her body was straying, sliding and shifting inside his weapon compartment. Starscream didn't know why he wanted her in there. Didn't know what caused him to entice her in the small space. But with his circuits buzzing with the knowledge of the dangerous weapons surrounding her tiny body as that heat of hers budded and bloomed, her frame shaking, small fingers scraping against the inner paneling, her body moving again as Alexis settled on top of one of his folded over null cannons, he lost all ability of rational reasoning as the human inside him burned along their contact. Whispering something incoherent, low undercurrents of her tone wafted upwards as it beckoned. Starscream desperately probed, caressing and kneading the small opening of the compartment while trying to make contact. But she was out of reach.

The torturous pain rushed and grew, built and strayed. And finally, boosters firing and wings extending, unrelenting pleasure was found and captured. His sensors crackled in and out while his hands fell heavily along the sides of his cockpit as he rode out the after surges.


	31. Floodgates

Why, now that she found Starscream, did she still hurt? Because he would come back sometimes covered in fluids, banged up and when Alexis looked close enough she saw patches of blood.

A desperate, selfish part of Alexis was rather indifferent to it. But as it continued and she spent more time with him, saw the things he ordered his men to do and the tasks he forced the humans to do, with her regained health came a new perspective that as much as she wanted him or not, tore her apart.

For while there was no doubt that he was Starscream, he wasn't the one she knew. Nor was the intimacy of their bond even apparent although some faint connection undeniably remained. Observing him, she found out certain things. He believed he just arrived on Earth and that his new overseer position was given to him as some sort of test by Megatron. He knew of Thundercracker and Skywarp, but did not have the awareness that they were his bonded Trine. He believed he was to be promoted soon and that when he carried out his duties on Earth, he was to become Megatron's second in command.

He wasn't quite as cruel, nor as deceptive or cynical as the Starscream she first met. Almost vulnerable somehow as he was more uncertain about things, and while he seemed as arrogant as ever, and absolutely sure about other things, his personality was decidedly different.

And he made such an effort to please her even as purposely made all shows of doing the opposite. He would build stuff for her, give her things and was always so curious about her which of course, he tried to hide with indifference, yet his questions did not stop. All that was rather endearing, but it did make it feel as if Alexis' heart was being squeezed tight.

But Starscream wouldn't listen to her about the important things. He wouldn't let her talk about his duties or the humans' working conditions. Wouldn't let her bring up anything that was related to her Starscream. And while Alexis continued to try to get through, his aggravation on her interest in such matters only served for him to be more careful about what he talked about in front of her, or when he saw the expression on her face from the blood upon him, to clean himself better before returning.

By the time he brought a real bed back for, placing it directly underneath his berth, Alexis came to the rather startling conclusion that she was being kept by him.

She wanted to believe he cared and wanted to believe he actually felt something for her. And while sometimes she got that impression that he remembered things about her, or really, _truly _knew who she was, it didn't last long. A pompous comment would follow, or an arrogant remark, or even the lustful way he was always looking at her, kept Alexis from believing that he actually felt something for her. And yet she didn't stop him from touching her and didn't stop herself from touching him. It was a cruel, sick state of affairs she was in, her uncertainty making her draw away from him. While she saw those actions confused Starscream, he was too full of pride to utter a remark.

Alexis wanted to stay with him, wanted to run away. She wanted to mourn for her Starscream, wanted to rejoice with the one she had. She wanted to forget all the horrible things he was doing, wanted to pretend he never did any of them. Alexis wanted to somehow get through to him and make him understand, to feel and know him as she had the Starscream she mated and bonded to.

All they had done was share energy, and while that was intimate enough she wanted to connect with his spark and mind. Alexis knew if she did that whatever Megatron did to him would be reversed, and that he would remember, that he would trust her. That he would love her again. That everything would be all right as soon as she heard him inside her, and Starscream heard her.

And yet Alexis wanted this Starscream, even if he didn't remember, because so much of him was still the same. She wanted to forget her ethics and forget everything else that was going on around them, and join in the game the Seeker thought she was there to play. Let him touch her again. Let her lose herself in him. Let him believe whatever he wanted as long as he kept her close.

But that wasn't love. And Alexis knew even with all the twisted ideas floating around in her head that it wasn't enough. That soon, very soon that grief she was still dealing with would reveal all the truths and bury all the lies. And when that happened, she would have to make a choice. Stay with this Starscream and forget who she was. Or remember what she believed in and who she still loved.

Either way when Alexis forced herself to move forward, she was going to lose something.

* * *

"I no longer believe you are a spy. But that does not account for the memories I have of you."

Alexis was just about to fall asleep, but those words grabbed her fatigue and boosted her with adrenaline.

"You... you have _memories _of me?"

Alexis was startled. She thought perhaps he knew something about her, but she put that down to her own fantasies. But hearing the Seeker admit such things made her rocket up and crush her chest against her legs. This could change everything, could mean the difference between trying to start over or wallowing in a sense of unlimited despair.

If she had paid more attention, Alexis would have noticed the strain in his vocals. She was grabbed, bed and all. Placed on his berth, bright scarlet optics penetrated the darkness.

His voice was low and seemingly amused while gloom curled around his cold statement. "You came to kill me didn't you? At first, I couldn't comprehend why you would have a weapon that was made out on my own alloy, but now I see that if one wanted, particularly with such a tool, they could end me easily. The weapon is capable of bypassing my personal defense shields, and even a tiny creature such as yourself could finish me off then, especially with its firepower. Of course, foolish either way, for even if I was terminated my mechs would kill you before my spark-less body stopped sensory output."

Starscream went on, "So, did you come here to save your fellow humans, or perhaps... perhaps, Alexis, you came to free a lover?"

With that he ripped the blanket off her body and loomed above. His optics brightened, and Alexis was blinded to all that was around her. The light was so intense that she had to cover her eyes, blinking rapidly as she tried to adjust.

"I know how you humans copulate. And I now understand that heat of yours that comes upon you when I touch your body." Something was stroking her feet, her arm, then going down her chest to stop above her belly. She gasped, writhing at the sensitive nature of the unseen touch. She fought on whether to push him away or press up. Leaving her body, the touch returned. Alexis' ankles were pushed apart, and the contact went upwards as her legs were stroked. "The warmth means you want me inside of you." Up his finger went before drifting beyond her knees and brushing along her thighs. Gasping and sitting up, she pulled back and dropped her arms off her face.

Starscream was so close with his optics now dim. "And I find I am not particularly adverse to the idea." He tilted his head, watching Alexis' expression, his finger somehow managing to linger near her leg.

"You're... you're too..." she gulped, stomach burning as her words were lost in the air.

"Not all of me is."

Of course, she wasn't as innocent as all that. Bonding with Starscream gave her an insight. She saw what was possible and just how far they could take it. What had been done to him because of their bonding and what purpose it served. But now after he had been killed, no, _not_ killed, _changed_, Alexis was little sure where she stood with this Starscream. And while Alexis was still terribly attracted, she had too many doubts. She had thought her Starscream would have been the one to guide her through such things. And now...

She stammered, the nervous tingling in her spine causing difficulties. "I thought... I thought you believed I came here to free the humans, that I came to kill you."

He shrugged her words off. "I wanted to feel your reaction. But your heart only raced when I stroked you." Starscream's finger was straying, bumping against her and pulling away, slipping along her and drawing back.

"And your conclusion?" Alexis asked breathlessly.

"That it doesn't matter. And experience has taught me that sooner or later the truth will be known. Until then..." he smiled deviously.

His touch was back, but with more determination. Alexis was aware of how different it was now. All the other times it had been as if she was sort of pet. She would be rubbed, patted, some wandering touches, but he mostly liked caressing her belly, or to linger along her shoulders. Yet somewhere along the line of her arrival, and the weeks that had passed, he learned and made himself aware of how much further just touching could be taken.

Alexis should have stopped him immediately, but she didn't. And it wasn't until she felt him trying to remove her pants as he gripped firm to the hems that she was startled enough to say something.

"Stop... please stop," Alexis begged, hating how unconvinced her request sounded.

"You want this. I will make you forget whatever you are struggling with."

She almost laid back down, for sometimes, just like then, he could say things that made her feel as if he knew exactly who she was, what she wanted, and what she needed. It was uncanny. It was confusing.

"No... you can't." She worked her feet out of his hold, legs drawn up as she leaned against them.

Starscream spoke low. His words were mildly discomposed, "There is no need to deny this. I don't understand you, human."

At that, tears appeared in her eyes before releasing as they were immediately soaked into her pants.

"I _know _you don't, Starscream. _Believe_ me, I _know_."

He pulled her legs back down, pushing her arms away from her head.

"You will lie with me. Alexandra. I will feel you against me."

Despite the gruffness of his words, underneath they were unexpectedly tender. She really began to cry then. As he picked her up and settled her down near his canopy with his hand enveloping her body, Alexis didn't even think to object.

* * *

Alexis stayed with him whenever he recharged after that. It didn't matter if it was time for her to sleep or not, she was expected to stay with Starscream, or at least nearby. But it wasn't as if she had anywhere to go. She hadn't even left his quarters since her arrival all those weeks ago.

"Do you want to escape from me?" Starscream asked, his tone unexpectedly aggressive.

Alexis was staring out a window, the only one in all his rooms. Starscream had built her a small ramp that allowed her to reach its height. She spent a lot of time there just looking out, and while the view was a total lie, as it didn't even show the camp at all, but an empty forest of sorts, it did have the ability to allow her mind to wander and clear.

She turned to him, looking at him for some time. The Seeker was miffed again. He had such a tendency of being jealous. Whether about what he believed she was thinking, or who he believed she wanted. His distrust could be rather trying sometimes.

"Do you love me, Starscream?"

Alexis could tell he didn't know what to make of her question.

He answered after short deliberation, "I want to keep you. I never wanted to keep a femme before." He stepped closer, caressing her head and then her right shoulder. "And you, Alexandra? You have not used such a word toward me in some time."

She had nothing to say to that. But what could she say? And why did he suddenly care? He scoffed before. And pretended she didn't say such a thing, as if the words were meaningless. Avoiding his gaze, Alexis returned her attention back to the window. It was some time before he left her alone. By the heaviness of his departing steps, she could feel his aggravation.

* * *

She had never seen this Starscream so angry before. But when she saw the mood he was in upon his return, she went to her small hole of a haven, pushing into the entrance in the wall until she reached the back. Alexis felt like a mouse in hiding from the cat. She had discovered the little enclave entirely by accident, and tried to use it only when Starscream wasn't around, but now more than ever, she felt the need to escape.

"Alexis, come out."

She shifted on the hard floor and leaned against the cracked wall. Several minutes later he was back, pounding against the outer panel.

"I said to come out. Right _now_," Starscream commanded.

"No," she said firmly. Alexis expected more of an argument, but besides another pounding against the wall that made the ground shake and tremble, nothing more came. Alexis waited a long time, and then even longer as she made sure that not only had Starscream calmed down, but left. So when she reached the end only to be plucked up and away, she couldn't stop herself from screaming. She was so sure his signature had faded, indicating his moving off.

He lifted her up to his level. His optics softened.

"Do you fear me, Alexis?"

She shook her head even if sometimes she just wasn't sure.

"Then don't _ever_ hide away from me again. That is _unacceptable_ behavior," Starscream admonished.

"Then don't come home so angry, and I won't."

_Home_. She didn't mean to say that word, and even Starscream noticed the significance. But it wasn't her home, and he wasn't her husband, not really. If he was, she would have never gone away from his anger, but would have tried to comfort him, would have stayed with him and done anything to help.

Alexis felt queasy and as Starscream grinned arrogantly, taking her to his berth as he leaned back upon it, she thanked God that she hadn't eaten a heavy lunch that day.

* * *

"Do you have conditions?"

She didn't mean to stare so long at Starscream, but the way he was working so hard was peaceful. He was so lost in the going ons of the monitor before him that he didn't even command her to come closer when Alexis settled on his workstation. But he was obviously more aware of her than she had thought.

"You are going to have to be more specific," she told him.

"I have never forced a femme, but you... leave me to strange considerations. And those times we did come together were not enough. So I ask you again, do you have conditions to being intimate with me?"

And all that asked without Starscream even stopping his work. Even now he was still imputing something or another, Cybertronian text scrolling across the holographic screen. But she could see the tightness in his shoulder panels and the twitch on his middle digit. He wasn't _that_ preoccupied.

"And if I said yes?"

"Then whatever it is, I will provide it," he strongly assured.

"The spy? The assassin?" Alexis mocked. "And now, now you think me a whore to be bought?" The more she said, the louder her words got, and by the time she was done, she was yelling loudly.

"I can protect you. I can..."

"Shut up! Just shut up!" she shrieked. "You've said that before!" He looked confused, but she couldn't stop. "But what did you do? You left me! Abandoned me! Forsook me! I was nearly raped, nearly experimented on... and you above all others know what Megatron wants to do! Where were you _then_?" Alexis accused.

He was actually shocked. She acknowledged that, even through the tears and her fists that were beating against his outstretched hand, even the screams and the pain as she fell down on her knees.

"Your protection means nothing," she whimpered. Trying to touch her, Alexis pushed him away, growling. "I don't want _your_ touch. I want _his_! I don't want _your_ promises. I want to hear his! Where are you, Starscream? What have you become? Just come back to me. Love me, be with me! You can have my body. You can share my soul... just come back... come back... come _back_!

Sobbing violently, Alexis grieved.


	32. Disarray

Starscream was in denial. Seeing her sorrow and hearing her confessions while watching Alexis fall apart right before his optics was only the start. He watched as time passed, her confusion turn into bitter understanding and her desire for him into something to be denied. See as strength was found in her pain until piece by piece she seemed to regain a resolve that only brought the hurt back, a tragic, haunted expression making its home in her emerald depths.

He watched things dissemble between them, and still he was in denial. That something, that emotion, that overpowering sensation that began when she had first arrived, only grew and was not something he could put away as easily as she. He was never programmed to feel such as this, but now that he knew it and felt it, experienced it and lived with it, there was no going back. It didn't matter how little time had gone by, didn't matter that she was pulling back as he could not stop advancing. All that mattered is that whatever it took, whatever he needed to do; Alexis would forget whatever had brought this on. He would _make_ her forget.

The Seeker could not let go. He would not let go. Even with the realization that Starscream was not who he thought, turned everything into something to be questioned. For if she was telling the truth and if what she had said was not a lie, then his life and his very position and state of processor was not as it should be. Nor was he, who he was meant to be.

And yet, he couldn't believe that either. The memories he had and the data along the information, all so detailed and precise that while he knew he was supposed to doubt who he was that prospect seemed absurd and ridiculous.

Which left him in between doubt and seeking the truth, his processor running back between both and then circling around again until the aggravation of the disarray left him with nothing but to move forward, his paranoia and befuddlement shallowly buried as he focused his efforts elsewhere.

On Alexis.

Maybe he should have given her space. Let her work out whatever trial she was going through, but he didn't. Watching her as she was hurting and struggling, he didn't know quite what to think, nor what to do. However, he couldn't leave her alone; Starscream knew that much, and while he managed to force himself into a different room, he just couldn't get away from her completely. Starscream was concerned that if he did when he returned she would be gone. A figment of fantasy that his delusional processor had created out of fragments of data packets, giving him a glimpse of what he was supposedly without and in the form of one of the insignificant ingenious beings.

"You _won't_ leave me," he told her several days after her emotional eruption. His statement wasn't the plea of the pathetic but a firm demand.

Keeping his distance in a dark corner, he watched as she shifted and turned before her body tightened into a tiny ball on the bed. Alexis had cried off and on again, staying on the padded surface as she slept here and there, only leaving the small construct when she needed to.

And having her like that and sharing a room with him, even if she hardly spoke, or even acknowledged Starscream anymore, while insufficient was at least something tangible. He couldn't help talking to Alexis here and there while knowing that no matter how the human acted, she heard him well enough.

"I will be leaving this planet soon. My duties are nearly complete. And you are coming with me," Starscream informed the human. His attachment to the human already created complications, more than any he had since he arrived on the planet. Taking her with him would only cause more, but his decision was final.

"I... I will go with you."

He had definitely not foreseen her actually answering, and the determination in her voice while broken and pained even made it almost impossible to hear her reluctance.

"Why?"

"Because I must," she whispered while still not bothering to face him.

"Must? _Must!_?" he shot back with belligerence. "As if all this means nothing an..."

Alexis interrupted, "You don't remember me. You don't _want_ me." Her voice fell away, sadness sweeping around the room.

"I _want_ you," he said firmly. His vocals lowered when she actually turned around, hair pushed out of her face as she peered desperately through the darkness. "I want you more than anyone else before," the Seeker elaborated. The admission took a lot out of him. He was programmed not to need anyone, instilled to rely only on his self. But the startling thing of all was as he heard himself say that, he knew that he more than just wanted Alexis. The possessiveness came back, a strange melancholic ache as well that Starscream had pushed down since her shocking outburst.

The Seeker despised the strain between them and hated how much time went by that he hadn't touched her. Restraint he knew, could be an evil apparatus, forcing him to deal with things without the benefit of their unorthodox intimacy. Stepping out of the darkness, his optics found her eyes, relentlessly holding onto them, emotional deprivation from the last few days from him holding back from going to her and reaching out, turning into a desperate need of some sort of contact.

Yet he stayed where he was. He didn't offer solace. Starscream didn't know how, and with the look on her face, that apprehensive, anguished expression that only grew the longer he stared, forced him to stutter and stall. With her like that, whatever he wanted to do, however truly sincere, would have done no good.

Breaking away from his gaze, Alexis rolled back over.

And still, with her back facing him, Starscream allowed himself the denial. For the thought of her not wanting him was more than he was willing to confront.

* * *

The path to the girl was continually being obstructed. And when Sideways came to fetch the human, ordered by Megatron to do so, Starscream easily lied about her whereabouts.

"My Lord?"

Starscream found Bulkload before him, the sometimes too competent mech that probably knew more about the him then the Seeker would have liked. He was the only one besides himself that was even aware that he had kept the human.

"What is it?"

Massive shoulder panels rising high, they dropped as if a bomb. Tension drifted along the mech's small blue chassis as he spoke with caution, "Sideways has been asking questions. He does not believe you sent her to the mines as you stated," Bulkload finally said.

"What I do with the human is none of his concern, nor yours. Do I make myself clear?" Starscream snapped, his digits tapping heavily against his work surface.

"Understood, but no matter how small these humans are, you hiding one in your quarters will only go unnoticed for so long," the Decepticon said cautiously.

Starscream exploded upwards, fists slamming down hard on his station. The holographic protection from his terminal crackled before stabilizing.

"Listen _carefully_. You will forget about the human. I don't care if Megatron himself comes and threatens your very spark, you so much as utter an inference as to her location, or that I have had her, and I will make sure you suffer many a mega-cycle before I slice you up in pieces and scatter your salvageable parts to far worthier mechs," Starscream threatened.

The mech before him was not so easily put off. He continued to speak, his tone guarded and kept to a minimal tone, "I understand, sir. But you should know, I... overheard Sideways' message to Megatron. Megatron seemed quite upset in the fact that you have even made contact with the human female. And now that he knows you have, he believes you _do_ have the human. Sideways has been ordered to retrieve the human by whatever means possible. He will stop at nothing to get her, and Megatron ordered the human terminated if you do not give her up."

Starscream sat down, calming momentary while suspicions came. Why would Megatron make such an effort to retrieve a human? Yet another thing that wasn't fitting into his puzzle of reality, but ever since the human arrived sense was far gone.

Ordering Bulkload away, Starscream thought things through until with as much as it could things started to clear as he planned.

* * *

"Alexis."

Nudging the human, she shifted and stirred, then sat up so quickly that she knocked her head against his nearby digit.

"We are leaving. _Now._"

Pushing the blanket off her body and leaning on the edge of the bed, she got her shoes on, doing as he said quickly, understanding the urgency in Starscream's words alone.

She had no need to know of Sideways or Megatron's orders, that meant nothing in the scheme of things. Whether she wanted him to or not he would preserve Alexis, if not for her sake, then for his own.

Still unaccustomed to such tendencies, reacting to them was still new. But as he placed her in his cockpit, taking her away in the dead of night with the camp so still and the air clear, he knew deep in his spark that protecting the creature was some instinctual programming that he couldn't deny.

Responding, Starscream took her as far away as he could with the time he was allotted.

* * *

"You will be safe here, human. I will come back for you," he told Alexis after she exited him on their arrival. "Do _not _leave this place. If you do, I _will _find you," he warned not so gently, but he needed her to listen and to understand his intent.

The trip to the safe house Starscream had found for the girl was a silent one. And now as she looked up at him and listened to his words, he thought for sure that was the end. If things didn't play out well, he might not see her again. But silence was all he was given, a stretch of space and air drifting invisibly between the human and Seeker.

Wings extending and thrusters activating, he prepared to leave. Forcing himself not to look back, he lifted. Alexis' voice stopped him though. The power her vocals held over him, Starscream was still learning. The Seeker was enthralled by the inflections possible in such a faint utterance.

"Starscream," she spoke his name. Hesitant and questioning, seeking something that she seemed closer to finding when Alexis uttered his designation.

Wings dropping and thrusters deactivated; he shifted around towards her voice.

"Stay," she beckoned. "I _want _you to stay."

It was undeniably strange how he could take her few words and know exactly what she meant. How he knew just by the way Alexis stood with her hands bunched tightly together, what the human wanted. Away from the Decepticon compound, her eyes were suddenly clear. Looking up at him everything was offered and nothing denied.

Bending down with his palm out, she climbed upon it. He should have questioned her sudden change toward him, the twisted reversal, but Starscream truly didn't care to know. He wanted her. And nothing, not even the truth of their delicate circumstances was capable of distracting him from that desire of attainment.

Lying back on the grassy ground and dropping the human upon him, Starscream was startled at the tactile sensation of Alexis leaning down. Even more surprised when her mouth caressed here and then there, small hands marking and knowing him as she touched him more intimately than she had yet. But it wasn't he that she was touching, but the other. He understood that in a moment of lucidity before covetousness took over. His own digits wandered and found her, identifying the human all over again, but with more intent. Everything became movement, touch, sounds, emotions and a deep, desperate strain. Her breathes quickened and his energon crackled, that heat of hers spreading as a dull tremor escalated within his chassis. And when his chamber emerged and revealed itself to the human, as startled as he was at what was about to commence and with who, Starscream didn't stop it. His spark eagerly made contact with the human.

Reality exploded, their minds meeting and thoughts mixing together, emotions caressing and intentions revealed. He felt Alexis desperately seeking and looking and trying to find a resemblance to her Starscream. Wanting and wishing and praying as she tried to bring back her lover and mate, her desperate actions the only reason she allowed any of it to begin with.

She continued to try until she was unable. Their desire and need clouded everything else over as the very function of thinking was taken away. His spark overflowed, spreading and meeting, knowing and filling her, bringing them both to a state of ecstasy as the idea of familiarity burst through his circuits. A state of complete understanding came to Starscream before it was forgotten and buried in a deep, dark chasm, passion taking its place alongside the penetrating beat of a human's heart.


	33. Misaligned

Thundercracker almost forgot about the human. In truth, he believed her dead. He had stayed with her longer than he ever intended, even when he left her to complete her task, he followed at a distance. Until the human just disappeared, her signal from the tracking device gone as well. The only indication that she had even been in the area was the abandoned motorcycle, one he had appropriated before making a retreat. She had led him to a Decepticon compound, and while he managed to get away unscathed and unseen, he was sure that the little foolish human would not have been as capable as he.

So when the signal suddenly started up again four weeks, five days and many hours later, new coordinates fed into his mainframe, it took him several nano-clicks before he could act.

Skywarp had wanted to go with him, but TC felt the need to go alone. And the two leaving the compound together at that point would have only drawn unneeded attention. Besides, whether he liked it or not it was his duty to look after the human. He would bring her back and figure out what to do with her. As irrational as the human was, Alexis belonged to Skywarp and Thundercracker. And now that she was identified as alive, he would have to do what it took to get her back. After all, she was the bonded of Starscream, and Seekers did not take mates often, and bonded Trines, even less so. For such an inclusion into their exclusive circle opened doors both ways into an intimacy and sharing of selves that Thundercracker was sure Starscream never informed Alexis of.

When the Seeker came upon the human, his mainframe nearly crashed when she was not alone. Starscream was with her, a Starscream that TC held no connection to, or bond that he could feel, even as it was undeniably his trinemate. He was holding the human, his digit wandering around her tiny body, his focus intent and reverent, his mouthpiece opening with faint utterances that were beyond Thundercracker's ability of picking up. And then as if time forsook him, the resurrected Seeker placed the human on the ground, touching her one more time on the round of her small shoulder before taking off.

The human remained still for some time until suddenly she curled up in herself, tremors commencing in the tightness of her back before rippling down her small body as a shaky breath of air was inhaled. He remained where he was for a while, now trained in what distance he needed so that she would not be aware of his presence, Thundercracker observed her.

Starscream was _alive_. He should have had questions, should have wondered how it was even possible, but his inability to pick up his trinemate's signal made that revelation a rather suspicious circumstance that he knew he was going to have to deal with some other time.

He needed to get the human away.

There was too much data chatter in the area. Thundercracker had been filtering it throughout his journey, and cleared it out to the immediate area upon his arrival, listening to it idly. When he suddenly heard Starscream's vocals, orders following with cold malice that did not match up with the gentleness upon the creature he had just left behind, TC knew he needed to take her away. Knew whatever the human thought she was doing with that Starscream was a perilous thing.

"You," Alexis uttered with little surprise while tilting her head backwards. Looking up at him, she shifted up into a sitting position.

"This time you _are_ coming with me," Thundercracker stated.

The human stilled, head lowering while her mouth formed a tight line.

He went on, "_Whatever_ you think you are doing, human; you are only putting yourself in danger. That is _not_ Starscream. Not anymore."

TC expected an argument or an emotional reaction. But she only sat there more still than ever as if she hadn't even heard him. So he spoke again, this time with the brutal truth, "Do you know what he did after he left you? He gave the order to terminate all the humans on the compound." He knew that would get her. She was a sentimental creature with plenty of misplaced empathy toward others.

Neck tilting, Alexis' eyes found his optics, relentlessly holding onto them as if seeking the truth, but he saw she already believed him.

"Why would he do that?" she asked, her tone a torturous whisper that barely reached TC's receptors.

"Don't delude yourself. He doesn't need a reason." Not that Thundercracker really knew, but the need to get out of the area was dominate in his processor. A feeling worked through his cabling that demanded he get out of the area, an instinct that overwhelmed. Wasting no time or further preamble, he picked the human up, trying not to think of what he was doing as he placed her inside of him. He took off immediately.

An hour passed and another. It was going to be an even longer journey back then it had been to get there. There was discomfort from having her within him, and the feel of her energy tingling down and through the Seeker reminded him of who she belonged to and what she had probably just done.

"Ever since I found him, I just couldn't move or even react, just couldn't leave him," Alexis suddenly spoke. Her voice was low and tired with a sadness there that weighed down her words. "If you didn't come along I would probably still be waiting for him to return. Probably still be with him," she paused, sighing as her eyes lifted up on his paneling. "I don't know whether to thank you or _hate_ you," she said with a burst of emotion, a strain there that put an edge on her words.

"If you wish to return..." he said, already flipping over and curving around. The feel of her tiny fingers digging into the seat made him slip momentarily as the turn faltered into an uneven execution.

"No." She shook her head, biting down hard on her lip. He felt her tiny body quake. "I know now, I know that he..."

Her words were interrupted when a missile missed his wing, flying over his nose it exploded. Passing through smoke, heat and flying shards of metal, he curved, turned and slowed down. He did not pick up anyone in the area, and few among his many mega-cycles of existence had ever been able to fool his sensors to such a degree.

A voice rang through his audio receptors.

"I know you have _my_ human. You have four nano-clicks to land and relinquish her to me, or I will _tear_ you apart."

Not hearing Thundercracker's internal comm chatter, but definitely feeling the explosion, Alexis leaned forward while trying to see better as she peered at the view screen.

"What is it?"

"Starscream is here for you."

* * *

Gaining momentum, TC put a good distance between him and Starscream. And as if telling him was her duty; Alexis informed Thundercracker of all she knew of the Starscream that was pursuing them. His suspicions were confirmed. Megatron had formatted mechs before, usually though when he wanted to recruit one that was a little unwilling, or an Autobot with skills he was in need of. The procedure was a permanent one, never had Thundercracker heard of anyone breaking through the memory bank rewrite. And even if it did seem a little irregular, as Starscream was set back to an earlier time in Megatron's service, and not erased entirely, it was none the less malignant.

Starscream _was_ gone.

"What is your purpose with my human?" Starscream's voice came through. "I have already claimed her, she is _mine_. Turn her over, or this pursuit will only end one way."

"And risk hurting the human?" The longer the Seeker chased him; the longer Thundercracker's system had to analyze the new Starscream's stealth capabilities, and the easier it got to track him. Why his systems didn't register him to begin with was disturbing, but he would not be surprised again.

And when three missiles came this time, he knew they were diversionary and TC was prepared. Rolling, rising and then falling down, he easily avoided them. Twisting around, he found Starscream directly behind him. He was hovering in the air fully transformed with his hands up, and null cannons aimed straight at Thundercracker.

"Identify yourself," Starscream demanded. Now in a position of power, he appeared prepared for further conversation.

"I am Thundercracker, _Lord_ Starscream."

"Of the Elites?" He sounded a little astonished, but hid it with a show of contempt. "What is your purpose here? Did Megatron order you to take the human?" The Air Commander was becoming increasingly ill-disposed, and as Thundercracker had not transformed himself, but stayed ready in his Cybertronian jet form, he was also suspicious.

"My purpose is no longer any of your concern," TC stated calmly.

"No longer?"

Thundercracker didn't have time for this, and with his sensors picking up incoming Decepticons that were identified as capable of flight, he knew it was time to move on.

Stealth no longer an option, he let his sonic detonations erupt, informing everyone within a couple hundred mile radius of his presence. Even on a planet not his own and on the opposite faction, he knew he was still feared. Starscream went flying back, transforming into his jet form the sonic immersions continued to send him uncontrollably warbling through the sky. Thundercracker took off, leaving his once commanding officer behind as he used that opportunity as his escape.

Already, he saw more than a few of the pursuers breaking off, and as his speed picked up, he saw that only one was still tailing him. Those that weren't scared off were ordered back, leaving the two Seekers alone.

Starscream quickly closed the distance between them. Thundercracker began evasive maneuvers. He flew up and down, through clouds and over dark waters, the space between the two jets decreasing. He would have never dared attack Starscream in the past, but that option was taken away from him as they began exchanging weapons fire. Yet it was when he remembered that he had a human inside of him, as she gripped tight to the restraints when his last blast made brutal contact, her eyes widening and mouth falling open in fear, that his prevalent concern for his own survival dimmed enough that he realized what he was doing. That was when Starscream's null cannon fired, a direct hit resounding against his frame. His systems went into disarray before they stalled, froze, and shut down completely.

The fall was going to be a tremendous one. As his velocity of a downward spiral increased, Starscream came for him, digits expanding into sharp talons. They dug into him without mercy, ripping and clawing away at Thundercracker's cockpit as he tried to get to the human.

Locked together, they spun, turned and continued their descent, Thundercracker's paneling tearing off between them. His systems still frozen from Starscream's null cannon, the talons continued to pursue their goal. He knew soon enough that the human would be taken, and that he would be left behind. His damage was going to be extreme if he couldn't gain control soon.

Suddenly, something warm and soft tugged upon him, his instrument panel coming to life as Alexis took possession of his stick. Starscream was thrown off from the sudden action of her pulling back upon the apparatus, the rush of air slowing as she took control.

It was far too late. But long enough of a delay that his systems were coming on-line. Making sure the human was secure in the harness, he activated the eject system. His cockpit flew off as Alexis disappeared not long after.

The ground getting closer, he identified Starscream's location. He was already moving back toward TC before angling off after the ejected human. Using his targeting systems, Thundercracker locked onto the Seeker before he let loose a barrage of firepower.

* * *

Things could have been much worse. Managing to transform out of jet mode at the last nano-click, he was able to divert most of the impact to non-essential systems. But he was still forced to shut down, repairs systems initializing as he went off-line.

Rebooting, he found Alexis standing before him. Her hair was a mess, and she had a large scrape across her chin, one that even as he watched, stitched itself slowly back together, leaving only small droplets of blood behind. She appeared dazed, conflicted and very concerned.

"Perhaps you should have just given me to him. I didn't mean for you to get hurt," she told him in a state of uneasy calm.

Thundercracker listened to her words even as he was still swimming in the astonishment of having the human just appear before him like that. It was rather disconcerting.

"It was my decision," he rasped. Wobbling a little at the knee joints, he managed to stand upright. "Everything is not about you."

She nodded her head in agreement. "I know, I just..."

Her words halted as Thundercracker crashed back down on what appeared to be some road, or had been. It was broken up and reduced to rubble; his fall compounded upon its decimation.

"Are you alright?"

Offended and self-conscious, he answered with scorn, "I need a couple nano-clicks. My stabilizer gyros are misaligned. I will have to repair them."

But she wasn't listening. Alexis shivered, paled and turned to the right. That was when Starscream landed, crashing twenty feet past them. He was damaged and angry, but seeing Alexis there who was now facing him as if in waiting, he tensed, a tremor of a roar exploding out of his mouthpiece as he charged for the human.

He didn't get far. Thundercracker may have been having malfunctions, but his blaster cannon still worked, and he had no hesitation in unleashing it. Starscream went flying back, crashing further down the road, toppling and scattering a couple abandoned cars before stilling into an equally malfunction Seeker. Optics burning bright, they dimmed as Starscream went off-line.

The air stirred with the sound of a human running.

* * *

If Thundercracker was lucky, he would have just enough time for his subsystems to finish internal repairs before Starscream rebooted.

Watching the human go after the Seeker, Thundercracker let her. He couldn't help but muddle over the strange but rather interesting circumstances he was in. Protecting a human from his supposedly terminated trinemate, who had been Starscream, but now was working against him. But did not Megatron expect Starscream to come across those that knew him?

He didn't want to fight Starscream. It had been some time since he had such a direct confrontation with his trinemate, and even longer that they had been pitted against one another. But he held back, when he shouldn't have. This Starscream would have shown him no such consideration, especially not after achieving his goal of regaining the human.

Thundercracker's optics still on Alexis, he watched her approach the immobile Starscream. Bending down on the ground she scooted close to his open palm. Leaning forward she planted her tiny hand on his own.

Suddenly, her back stiffened and her head rolled back. Zooming in Thundercracker watched as her skin turned ashen while small vibrations worked down her spinal column. Blood oozed out of her nose and then the corners of her eyes. It appeared she was trying to pull away, yet he couldn't figure out why. However, pain was universal, and he identified it in the line of her tightly shut mouth. Doing a precision scan, TC saw the problem immediately.

The human's nanites were escaping, practically jumping out of her flesh as they were introduced into the downed Seeker. There were so many of them, perhaps even all. With one violent jerk, she managed to break off the contact, slumping a couple of feet away from Starscream where she tried to gain equilibrium but failed.

Fascinated by the slowdown of her bio readings, he watched her momentarily lose conciseness and then regain it. Slowly turning onto her back, she pinched her eyes shut. Alexis' newly shed tears mixed with blood, the diluted fluid slipping down the curves of her cheeks, a soft trail of crimson painted delicately on her flesh.


	34. Devoid

Alexis' reality came in distorted patches, swarming over her line of vision only to explode inwards and then out. One moment the view was so clear her eyes hurt, the next it was broken up and falling away. Movement flowed freely around her with weightlessness arriving. The strange, comforting thought of floating away stilled her brain.

The oddest thing of all was that she was deeply aware of everything that was going on around her despite the sinking, swirling world. Alexis knew exactly what was taking place, knew when Thundercracker came and picked her up and placed her within him as they flew hard and fast. She watched clouds part, saw the sun and felt its heat. Fingers moving, Alexis felt the thickness of the seat below her and the scratchy texture of the belt.

Ever so steadily everything began to flow back together, time catching up with itself and settling into normal parameters. Her view permanently outside the cabin's windows, Alexis replayed everything that had just happened. A nauseous, tight feeling settled in her stomach.

"I... I need you to land," Alexis belted out. Hand reaching up she covered her mouth. Black spots appeared before her eyes before settling into a violent throbbing inside her forehead.

"I do not recommend that we do," Thundercracker spoke sternly. His voice was calm and so entirely aloof that she recalled why it was a relief that he hadn't spoken since the Seeker put Alexis inside him.

"We have to. Now," she breathed out hard. "I feel so dizzy... so... God... so sick..."

There must have been something in the tone of her voice, because suddenly they jerked back and then began to lower. As soon as they landed she got out, a nearby pond welcoming her as she heaved down before its flowing water. Hands soaking into the liquid her knees scratched harshly against rocks and twigs. Shakily, she brought the cold water to her face, eyes shutting she fought the trembling in her mouth and the stinging in her eyes.

She _left_ Starscream. It was over and done. And once more, but with more conviction, Alexis knew she was alone. The tremors passing from her body with heart stilling, she saw her future in stray patches that blinded her while she watched. She would survive. There was no getting past that. She would move forward and continue with her so-called life, and this sadness, this grief, would just be. And that Starscream... the one she tried to... oh no. Shaking her head, fingernails scratching against the inside of her palm, Alexis heaved a strangled sigh. Idiot. She was an idiot for trying to connect with that Starscream. She remembered more, and now than ever what it felt like, that closeness that was all consuming, that intimacy that still surged through her bloodstream. The need that took over everything, the passion that even now made her heart thump against her ribcage.

But it was all wrong. Wrong still because now she couldn't stop thinking about it, and because she wanted to do it all over again and more. Lust came upon her as if a spell, her skin tingling and body responding, an awkward instability building in her head until heaving the sinful thoughts away, she told herself that what she did would never be repeated, not with Starscream, not with anyone.

Sticking her hands back in the water, she moved them back and forth, watching the liquid pass over her flesh while distorting her fingers and skin and stretching out her own reflection before calmly settling when she stopped her movement. Leaning forward Alexis saw patches of blood on her face, a long scratch under her eye and concentrating, that strangeness that had been with her for some time, but that she hadn't figured out, came into the light.

She couldn't feel Thundercracker. However, looking over her shoulder and seeing him leaning against a tree and giving her a rather long stare; Alexis saw that he was more than there. Yet when he touched her earlier there hadn't been anything, just the coldness of his digits wrapping around her body as she settled inside his seat.

Her ability to pick up anything Cybertronian was gone. Alexis' loneliness expanded, but she ignored it. Settling down she sat before the small pond, cleaning herself up a little as the Seeker waited.

* * *

"We can go now," Alexis informed Thundercracker. Standing underneath him, she held his dominating gaze. She had so much to think about. But suddenly, now more than ever she had the overwhelming need to get back to base and to put distance between what had happened, to settle in her own bed, to sleep... to dream...

"We aren't going anywhere, human," Thundercracker stated, his optics surging. "When I said I didn't recommend that we land. I _meant _it. Now, it will be some time until I am capable of flight again," he finished with exasperation.

"You could have elaborated," she told him.

"And you should have listened to me."

Raising her chin and lids lowering, Alexis spoke low, "Well, it is too late now so I would recommend you divert that glare of yours." She wasn't angry, not even the slightest, and yet her tone was acid, her stance tightening into a straight line as her fingers folded into a fist.

Thundercracker frowned, "Such petulance in such an insignificant form. It would do you well to remember that I just saved you... _twice_."

Head lowering in defeat with her shoulders slumping forward, she shook her head. She didn't want to look at him anymore. And now that it was getting dark with shadows pushing over his bluish frame, his appearance was too striking, too much like Starscream's. However, getting him to speak helped. The more he spoke, the more she could come to terms with things.

He _wasn't_ Starscream. Starscream wasn't even Starscream. Choking on the levity that came with that thought, Alexis covered her eyes, teeth biting down on her mouth as she held back the sob that rolled in her belly.

She felt so weak, her body lax. Did all her nanites abandon her? Was the last bit of Starscream gone? Alexis felt the pressure of her fingers digging against her head, an ache still present. Alexis didn't feel well. Not in the least, but she couldn't distinguish between whether it was mental or physical, the two so interconnected that one could have been the other.

"Human?" Thundercracker spoke with caution.

She cringed at the name he seemed intent on branding her with, a truth as any, yet one that sounded somehow demeaning when he uttered it. As if all the flaws of her race had already been analyzed and disapproved of, and she was the cause of them all.

Alexis stood there in the darkness that was her flesh, hands still before her head, blocking her from the world and keeping her from everything except the shallowness of her own body and the lightness of her head that prickled down her skin.

Dizzy, she felt so dizzy. The sensation a mystifying one that seemed to come from her very pores. She wanted to throw up, wanted to die, wanted to go back to that Starscream, wanted to scream so long and so loud that perhaps she would never have to hear the sound of her pained voice again.

Body tilting forwards, something hard caught her. A coolness spread over her flesh. Rolling over she dug into it while seeping it in her hands, clawing and looking for more. And just as suddenly as the dizziness came, it left. Alexis' eyes opening she cautiously looked up. She was folded over in Thundercracker's open palm, the Seeker looking down at her with curiosity and hardly hidden revulsion.

Alexis breathed uneasily; her voice choked up and quaking. "You should leave me, should have never come for me, should have left me, should have..."

"You were Starscream's." Thundercracker shook his head; he had been so still that the sudden action seemed somehow off balance. "What I feel, what I prefer, is not to be considered."

Sitting up before moving off him, Alexis couldn't help but pick up the relief that practically rolled over Thundercracker.

"I can get someone else to pick me up," Alexis said, determination hiding the shaky quality of her tone. Her hand went instinctively to her wrist, finding her imploder there. But it shouldn't have been there. Starscream had taken it when she first arrived on his compound, and why didn't she remember him giving it back to her? She remembered after what they had done that he wouldn't stop touching her, his digit softly going all around her even as his spark receded and the light drew back. And he had said things to her, such wonderful things that she couldn't remember.

Starscream or not, he cared enough about her safety to give her back her weapon and communication device. Hand crawling up to her chest, water spilled from her eyes. So many what ifs crawled out and around her mind that she was lost within them. He killed all those humans though. Thundercracker was right; it didn't matter why because the deed was still done. He was a mass murderer, whether he pulled the trigger himself or not, he was responsible.

But she couldn't think about that anymore. Didn't want to think at all.

"Prowl." She swallowed the lump in her throat, shook her head and sat carefully down. "Prowl will pick me up."

"Out of the question," Thundercracker said. "And we are near Decepticon territory, not even one of the Autobot's prior humans would be reason enough for them to venture through it."

"_You_ came for me," Alexis pointed out.

"I had no choice." He took a step back, gears winding rapidly back as he looked elsewhere.

"Starscream is dead, why does it matter to you that I live?"

"You really don't understand anything," he told her, and Alexis picked up his agitation. "Being Starscream's mate even for such a short time, I would have thought you more astute on Seeker protocols." Thundercracker looked down at her with criticism. "Or did sparking _that_ Starscream cause your reasoning matrix to disintegrate?"

"I was trying to find Starscream... I..."

He cut her off, "By _fraggin'_ him?"

Alexis should have felt embarrassed, and with his accusing tone of voice, maybe even affront, but she felt so utterly calm and reasonable that she knew then more than ever how lost she truly was.

"I would have done anything; it's true." She bit down hard on her mouth. "Did you feel anything familiar about... that Starscream?"

"I did not."

"And yet you held back."

Those words had him shifting back, arms tugging tight across his cockpit.

"_That_ was a mistake," he said softly, watching her again with that sternness of his that analyzed her to the extreme.

Alexis took that opportunity and used it; her tone was light yet stained with indifference. "Then I guess I am not the only one that makes them. And before you are so severe in your judgment, perhaps you should recall that I saved your life as well."

Thundercracker obviously didn't like that in the least. Leaning over he pointed a digit in her direction. "Let's not blow things out of proportion. I had everything under control."

If Alexis had it in her, she would have laughed. "Not from where I was sitting."

* * *

The night continued on. Just when Alexis came to terms that she was going to have to spend the night with the stoic Seeker, Skywarp appeared in a burst and a bang. He grabbed onto Alexis and held to Thundercracker, and they disappeared in a dark, narrow void only to appear at the edge of the Autobot compound.

"Wish you brought me along? Don't you?" Skywarp said, after peering at the disheveled human and the banged up Seeker. "Just what have you guys been up to?"

Thundercracker must have explained, yet Alexis heard nothing, although she didn't miss the amused looks Skywarp sent her during the Seekers' silent exchange. Fifteen minutes later Alexis was taken from Thundercracker and Skywarp, dragged to the infirmary despite her arguing. She saw her parents, saw Bumblebee, saw Julia, people and faces all flashing before her before being replaced by new ones.

It was all too much, too soon. But there was no stopping it.

And then Mikaela came in with a whirl of wind and stamina. Throwing the door open, light broke forward while shattering the darkness of the room as Alexis shifted out of her sleep.

"They said you were back!" she practically raved. Hugging a small baby up to her, Mika put the moving bundle beside Alexis as she chirped away in subdued excitement. Telling her everything that had happened in all the months that she was gone and as quickly as possible, as if Alexis might disappear at any moment.

"Oh, and you are never going to believe it, but LX came looking for Barricade, even attacked Sam! But he showed that witch! Led her to..."

Alexis tried to listen, but the baby boy tugging on her finger distracted her. And as she took in her surroundings, finding herself in the medical ward yet again, she was beset by melancholy.

"I know," Mikaela said with sudden empathy. Bright, sad eyes found Alexis'. "Don't worry, Alexis. Things can only get better." The words hung in the air, swallowed up by the silence that stretched forth and grew.


	35. Beguile

Here they were just a couple of miles away from Megatron's stronghold. Mikaela's anticipation stilled momentarily as she took a deep breath.

Things were about to begin. The hopeful end: the downfall of Megatron.

* * *

Over the long months during Alexis' disappearance, Mika had become isolated inside her own world. A safe place of peace and contentment where her son, husband and a few select few abided.

Things were good, even great. It was only when she thought of Alexis and her circumstances, or Megatron and the AllSpark that was still embedded inside her that her thoughts would stray. By the time Alexis reappeared, looking thin and finely drawn around strained edges, Mika found a sense of relief along with dread from her purpose re-emerging more powerful than ever.

She held off talking to Alexis for some time, all of two weeks. By then she learned she had to be careful what she said around the girl, and speaking about Starscream was forbidden. She didn't know entirely what went on during Alexis' long absence, but her friend told her enough that she got the idea. Mikaela couldn't help but feel sympathetic. But the urge, the ever-present need to act would not be put off any longer.

Alexis' reaction was a rather restrained one. She listened to Mikaela patiently as she spoke of her AllSpark induced dreams and how she believed the alien artifact was speaking to her and guiding her to bring the Decepticon tyrant down.

"So, you want to murder Megatron?" Alexis asked bluntly, eyebrows lifting gently upon her forehead as she tilted her head.

"Uh, well... Yeah, I do." Mika responded, partly dazed.

"OK. Count me in."

Staring at her friend, she suddenly had so many things to say. This wasn't Alexis; Alexis wouldn't have agreed so readily, not for the taking of a life no matter who's. She would have had reservations. Would have tried to talk her out of it, reminding her how wrong she believed it was to kill. But Mika understood the anger in her voice and the sadness in the line of her mouth. And there was no turning back, not with the sudden resolve in Alexis, their purpose and goal now a shared one.

"He took Starscream from me, butchered our world. I can't say no," Alexis elaborated calmly, an intense manner in the darkness of her eyes. "But how exactly do you plan to do this when so many others have not managed?"

Mikaela remembered the conversation that followed afterwards for it was the first time in a while that she had seen Alexis so animated. Their subject drifted to other things when her son was brought into the room by Sam, the three talking about everything and yet strangely, nothing at all.

Before she left she told Alexis how she didn't want any of the Cybertronians to know of their plans. And when that happened, all those six months ago, she hadn't thought it would be a problem. But a lot of things had happened since the return of Alexis on the base. And while her friend didn't reestablish a connection with Bee, she did with two unexpected sources.

When she asked her about Bumblebee one day, Alexis only turned to her while frowning hard.

"It's best like this... this gap between him and me. I won't hurt him again. And I see the way he looks at me. I know he doesn't mean to... but it hurts me."

When Alexis did actually speak of Starscream, she always spoke of him as if he was dead. But Mika knew different, knew that a version of him was out there and very much alive, a complication that gnawed away at the girl.

And since her return, Alexis while pronounced healthy and okay would have spans of extreme sickness, staying in her compartments for days upon days unable to move and in incredible pain. After the third such occurrence, Mikaela asked Ratchet about it. That was the first time she really talked to the medic since the birth of her son. Yet she found that it went even better than she had allowed herself to believe. Gone was that pull she had felt even if a stunted attraction remained. Mikaela realized then that she had really missed the medic.

"Alexis stopped coming to me," Ratchet let her know after they had caught up a little. "But there isn't anything I can do for her anyway. Yet, since her diagnosis is a private one, you will have to confer with Alexis about it."

She should have figured as much, but that was alright; it did give her a chance to get over those wretched dark premonitions of seeing Ratchet alone again, and perhaps, well; things didn't have to be so strange between them.

"Spark sickness?" Mikaela's mouth fell open, the calmness of Alexis' just spoken words throwing her for a loop. "You do know you don't have a spark... _right_?" She had been treading on dangerous ground when she said that, but the fact that Alexis was even willing to speak about it at all was promising.

She shrugged. "I know," she said simply, the conversation over.

Mika had heard of tales that when a Cybertronian would lose their mate, they could become sick or even die. But Alexis was human, yet there was no denying that something was ailing the girl.

"Don't worry, it only occurs every three weeks for a couple of days, so if you could plan our little invasion for after..."

"Spark sickness," Mika repeated again, the words odd and frustrating. "Are you going to die?"

Alexis frowned, a curious expression in her green eyes. "Not today."

* * *

Time passing matching up to how old her son was; it was when he was six months old that Mikaela noticed that Alexis was finally interacting with others again. It was Skywarp, who sought out Alexis, yet it was her friend who seemed drawn to Thundercracker.

She found Alexis walking back from the Seeker base one day, Skywarp prancing along beside her, chirping away with his long legs moving easily to keep up with her friends' quick pace.

Seeing Mika, Alexis stopped, Skywarp halted alongside her, a long penetrating gaze sweeping over Mika and her son as the humanized Seeker straightened with agitation from the interruption.

That was the first time she saw the two together, but it wouldn't be the last. And she saw how Skywarp managed to slowly draw Alexis out, his bombastic attitude obviously some sort of good medicine. And she couldn't help but be intrigued, the Seekers and their group were so closed off and secretive that seeing into their tightly hidden world again was rather fascinating.

She knew that Alexis had gone and spoken to Thundercracker here and there. Once, she was taken along and let on the base, awed, she was given a tour by the rather eager, small-winged dart named Windglider. When she returned, she was to find Alexis sitting near Thundercracker's workstation, the blue Seeker working briskly on updating some holographic projection that looked like a topical map.

"They had a lot more going on in there that I would have thought," Mika told Alexis as they took the elevator down. The Autobot's base looked entirely small as they slowly descended.

"Yeah, I like it here. If it didn't hurt so much, I would even consider moving in... in..." Alexis swallowed down hard, tears prickling in her eyes that she wiped back with a resolute palm.

"If it hurts so much why do you go there at all?"

"Because I feel him there."

"And Thundercracker?" Mika asked, because she saw the indifferent way he treated her, and found it odd that Alexis would even want to be around that sort of behavior.

Alexis lifted her brows before laughing. "That? It's me being a masochist. He barely puts up with me. His manner, his... directness... the distance he maintains, sometimes I prefer it to all others." Her words fell away as she caught Mikaela's incredulous look. "I know. I need help. What else is new?"

Yes, Alexis did need help. But it was more than she could give, and she didn't seem willing to take it from others, not even her family. And as Alexis clung to her faith, she was angry and full of questions, desperate to know why.

An image came to Mika of walking in on Alexis and seeing her friend holding a small knife. The blade cutting across the flesh of her palm, blood oozed out before dripping down on the kitchen's beige tile underneath. Drawing the knife up, she cut herself deeper than before. A strange, eerie smile building upon Alexis' face, she made a motion to cut again. This time Mika stopped her, pulling the crimson knife out of her hand; she threw it in the sink.

"What are you doing?" Mika asked, anger and fear making her voice rise.

Alexis smile widened before stumbling down into a tragic frown, eyes far away and unseeing. She held her hand up while the other hand smeared the blood off her skin.

Mika's eyes widened as she watched the gashes knit themselves together.

"Healing... it would seem," Alexis said.

It was as she helped her friend wash the blood off her hand that she considered calling the whole thing off. But they still had months before everything was supposed to take place and Alexis was recovering, perhaps slowly, perhaps painfully, perhaps even fighting just to make it through every day. A selfish part of her realized then that the nanites working probably meant Alexis' abilities were awake as well, and she couldn't discount that. They needed all the help they could get, in any form as long as it was human.

* * *

They left in the middle of the night. It was cold and yet uncommonly bright; the moon hung overhead as if permission to continue while it illuminated their path.

It wasn't easy getting near Megatron's compound, but a couple confiscated Cybertronian devices, a fast vehicle, well laid plans, and carefully detailed approach had them arriving sooner than any of them had prepared.

She didn't know if inviting Rad was the best of ideas, but since he was in their circle, now that he lived with Julia, and had been on a couple of missions with Sam, her only concern was how he and Alexis got along. But it was nothing she needed to worry about. Alexis didn't seem to care, or was ready to forget what had taken place. And Rad, well, he reminded her of Bee, strange looks of melancholy directed at her friend that Alexis chose to ignore.

Abandoning their car, they were forced to make the rest of their journey on their own feet, the most dangerous part of their quest, apart from actually killing Megatron. But if they got through they could stand a chance. And somehow, deep in her gut, she knew they were going to succeed, the AllSpark already whispered of their victory.

* * *

Mikaela didn't know exactly when she figured out something wasn't quite right. But when she led them to a small protected room, her skin burning as the AllSpark surged inside her flesh, she realized that some, perhaps all of what she had been fed was a lie.

This wasn't about killing Megatron, or finding Megatron's throne, or a secret place to his own compartments, nor anything to do with the Decepticon lord at all. What it did have to do with, what she had been manipulated into acting towards was what hung in the middle of the room, floating seemingly on its own accord as it twisted and turned in the dim light.

Another shard of the AllSpark.

When she saw that the face of her son flashed before Mikaela's eyes. Zade had been on her mind a lot before she departed the base. It was the first time she had left the ten month old since his birth, but she had thought it a worthy cause. But she should have never left him. Should have listened to Sam, should have focused on her new family and forgotten everything else.

And yet she didn't feel any malevolence from the Allspark within her, but a desperation that was growing and heaving her forward. She heard her husband yell while the others warned her, but hand reaching forward and up, her fingers were forced back and away as she collided with something unseen, muted pain riding up her hand as she shrieked.

Alarms sounded immediately. Lights came on overhead; doors slid shut and clicked tightly behind them, trapping them in the room that they had worked so hard to enter. The others were focused on their sudden confinement, but not Mikaela. Her eyes were on the Allspark that began to vibrate as if sensing her presence. But that wasn't all that it was doing. And as she watched with her eyes wide and unable to look away, it shot forward. Breaking through the invisible barrier of its protective field it came right for her.


	36. Awakening

During the anger and the bitterness Starscream began to become more aware. He was angry because there was no way to get to Alexis, bitter because for the meanwhile he was forced to accept that.

His memory came back in patches, seemingly just white noise until it began to clear and grow. His internal systems were set back and by the time Starscream was more cognizant, he realized it had been in motion ever since the administration of the nanites. Looking at and studying them more closely, he found they belonged to him and had belonged to his human as well. Uncertain of their function and purpose he discovered a good two months later after rebooting from a long recharge that everything was as it once had been. Alexis' introduced nanites erased all the corrupted data he had been fed by Megatron and replaced it with his original protocol.

He didn't remember everything. There were still patches missing here and there, but he got enough back that by the time he was more himself, he had come to terms with what he needed to do.

Starscream was desperate to contact Alexis, but he was unable. He felt her, sensed her, a faint connection there that after testing he realized was only on his side. She was unaware of him, pushing forward and living on. Extreme distress filled his core, but for now, Starscream would have to leave her be. But that didn't mean he couldn't watch over her in his own way, at least until he was totally free of Megatron. Plans were already worked out and put in motion as he prepared for what he was going to have to do.

It helped that immediately following his re-awakening his bond with his Trine reestablished, giving him an opening that he was in need of. The first conversation shared between the three Seekers was a rather marked occasion. Sharing their status, the three caught up, a location fixed of where they could meet safely.

Landing before a large red barn beyond a field of long abandoned apple trees, Starscream addressed TC, who was already waiting for him, "Where's Skywarp?"

Thundercracker was looking at him, a quick glance spared along his frame before he addressed him, so formally and calmly that one watching the little scene would have never guessed that not long ago they had been critically separated and cut off from one another.

"Unable to come. Prime is starting to become suspicious of our increased activities," Thundercracker informed.

Starscream shrugged that off, little concerned. "No matter. Continue as you have been, there is no need to act covertly. The more they try to find anything out, the less good it will do them." Pausing, he took a decisive step forward. "Tell me of Alexandra."

Thundercracker shifted, a rather minute gesture that most wouldn't have noticed. "She is as she was: stable, but conflicted."

"Did you bring me what I asked?" Starscream inquired.

TC nodded his head. Hand moving forward a small chip rested on his open palm. "This is the most recent scan of her nullifier data; however, I have been unable to decode it."

"You weren't meant to. I alone have access." Bitterness made its home in his vocals. "If our bond wasn't broken I wouldn't need this, but now..." Placing the small chip on one of the tips of his digits, the data on the device was absorbed.

A program opened. Immediately, he had access to Alexis' nullifier and with that her location. Again, he became disturbed, knowing he would have never had to resort to such a thing if his and Alexis' bond still remained. However, he still had access to her emotions. If she never reached out to the old him in that manner that still made his circuits fizzle as she made an attempt to find him, he would have woken alone and devoid. While the other him had been unsettled and fascinated with such a connection to the girl, it brought Starscream much needed consolation, and gave him an opportunity to move things in place. For if he had awoken without the feel of her, he would have gone straight to Alexis, consequences, outcomes; it wouldn't have mattered; nothing would have except to feel her again.

Even still it was a difficulty not to retrieve her, but his position with Megatron at the moment put him at an advantage he never had before, and he knew that neither Skywarp or Thundercracker would allow anything to happen to his human.

"Skywarp has spent much time with Alexis?" Starscream asked as he refined and incorporated the data into his system, creating a temporary link with the nullifier so that no matter what he would always be aware of her position.

Thundercracker nodded his head. "She seems to entertain him."

"And _you _have watched out for her?" Starscream wanted to know.

"Even before you commanded it."

"Barricade?" he asked idly.

Thundercracker crossed his hands over his cockpit, stepping back he leaned against the barn while trampling a fence under his pediforms. "Taken care of, but LX still remains. The Autobots managed to capture it and are studying it."

"Let them have their fun." The Supreme Air Commander swiped his hand forward in a dismissive manner. "For now, I consider that matter closed. You did suggest to Alexis to wear the nullifier at all times?"

TC shook his head in the affirmative. "Yes, but she is oblivious to its updated functions."

Starscream's mouth curled upward. "It would seem the old me was quite concerned with keeping her alive."

"And was enamored with her as well," Thundercracker stated, appearing rather curious and confused. "He fought fiercely for her."

"And would have gotten her as well if you didn't regain your functions."

A small smile flashed across TC's mouthpiece, a rare, devious glint in his optics. He stepped forward, his tone lowering as he became amused. "That wasn't me, that was your human. It seems someone has given the human control of his stick and taught her how to use it." Again, the curiosity was back; TC watched the Supreme Seeker for some sort of clarification.

Starscream stepped closer, his hand gripping tightly on Thundercracker's shoulder panel. "She has an understanding of _many_ of my components. Just know that that will be the only part of you that will ever feel her flesh embracing it." Drawing back, steeping away, he prepared to leave. "She has _quite_ the grip does she not?"

Thundercracker shifted minutely onto his left pediform. Starscream laughed this time, amused by his fellow Seeker's discomfort.

* * *

Thundercracker sent him videos and pictures of Alexis, data that he was forced to destroy after he viewed it. Starscream could not afford to bring it back to the Decepticon base. While he was figuring out who he could trust he had to be extremely careful for he probably wasn't just being watched, but scanned quite frequently. Fortunately, he was able to devise a program that matched his old corrupted system, creating a shadow of coding that hid the fact that he had recovered.

The more time that passed, the more he questioned the exact reasoning as to why he had to stay away from Alexis. He was focused upon her, dangerously so, his already tenuous resolve ready to break apart as he flew to her side, capturing and reclaiming her. He was becoming increasingly envious of his trinemates. He saw through the relays how Skywarp interacted with Alexis, saw and heard some of Thundercracker's conversations with his human, that the more time went by, the more his fellow Seeker seemed to tolerate her. In the middle of that he started to see and understand things, maybe imagine things as he became increasingly paranoid. He wanted the two to watch over her; he did not want Alexis to become overly attached to them, no matter how simple or on what terms.

She was _his_. And while he didn't exactly distrust his trinemates, he knew what Alexis being bonded to him meant. Starscream understood though, in a faraway corner of his processor, that he was being irrational. That the unbearable separation was stirring dark intentions and deep-rooted envy. But nothing would diffuse any of those ominous terrors until he saw her again. Until that happened, he would continue to monitor his wingmates' link with prejudice. And continue to learn how to cope with the range of emotions that filtered out of Alexis, vowing that soon enough those fears she had and that sorrow she felt would be vanquished by him and him alone.

* * *

Starscream quickly left the Decepticon base. Opening the data port that was sending him alerts, he received a message from Thundercracker. But he already knew what it pertained to. Alexis was moving. He hadn't been concerned until she unexpectedly changed course. Calculating the human's trajectory, he figured out her destination.

She was heading straight to Megatron's stronghold. An oddity in itself since the Decepticon lord changed locations so frequently that even among the Deception ranks only a few were informed of Megatron's actual whereabouts.

That pushed Starscream's time frame forward. Implementing a hidden self destruct protocol on the base he had been left in charge of by Megatron, he watched at a safe distance above it as it exploded, blowing away the construct and all its precious stockpiles. The mines were next and then every single weapon cache that the three Seekers had been able to identify since their arrival on Earth. That wouldn't be enough to stop Megatron, but it would momentarily draw his attention elsewhere.

Opening his link, he contacted his Trine and gave them coordinates that he was already on his way to. The Autobots would be distracted with the reports of all the explosions across the blue globe which suited the Supreme Seeker perfectly. He didn't need any interference with what was to come next. He didn't know what awaited him, but he did know who.

Distracting himself with his anger and the lecture he was going to give Alexandra once he saw her again, he tried in vain to ignore the panic and fear that was growing inside his human. But there was no misinterpreting what he felt nor the danger she was obviously in.

And if he didn't arrive on time... Growling, engines burning he pushed himself to the limit, his trinemates joining alongside.

"I thought you two were _watching_ her," Starscream accused, the blame burning in every word.

"I told you she was up to something... didn't I say so, Thundercracker?" Skywarp burst forth, ready and willing to take the blame off himself and direct it elsewhere.

Thundercracker replied readily, not the least indisposed, "As I recall, your exact words were that she appeared distracted. To me that is not equivalent to her being up to something. You're the last one that saw her, how did she appear to you?" TC asked of his trinemate.

Skywarp paused, thinking it over before he spoke, "Quiet, reflective, perhaps low on energy. But it was several days after one of her attacks which always leaves her..."

"Attacks, what attacks?" Starscream interrupted with exasperation. That pain, he remembered the pain, so overwhelming and consuming that he had thought it his own, yet all the time it had been Alexis'. He was so thoroughly distracted by the revelation that he nearly transformed. As it was he had already slowed down, an action that had his demeanor shifting to a dangerous spectrum, one that was already dark and foreboding.

"I... I wasn't supposed to say anything," Warp began nervously, chuckling forcefully as he tried to quell Starscream's anger. "She, that is... I mean..." he began chirping nonsensically.

"Are you _hiding_ things from me? About my own mate?" The anger was building, but he felt it more for himself than Skywarp, but he misdirected it just the same. Starscream was so frustrated that he had allowed Alexis to remain in such a state that his frame was trembling with fury. The pain had almost been too much for him, how could a human endure?

Skywarp broke through the Supreme Seeker's thought processes. "No... it's nothing like that, it is, you see, I mean..."

"By Primus," Starscream snarled, thrusters raging, "now isn't time for your incessant babbling. Tell me what you know right now, or I will be forced to take it from you."

Already, he was beginning to dig in Skywarp's processor, broadening the link between them as his intrusion upon his wingmate began.

"Wait..." Skywarp wailed. "I... here, I am sending you the documents I procured from the Autobot's medical laboratory."

Easing away from Skywarp's CPU, he went over what he was given. As ominous as it was, it was riveting as well.

"The next time you keep something like this from me, I will do a full, _detailed_ scan of your processor," Starscream threatened.

"I wasn't keeping things from you; I was..."

"Did you hear what I just said?" the Air Commander spat, warning signals practically flaring from his tone of voice.

"Yes! Message received!" Quickly easing back into his carefree manner, Skywarp spoke, "There is certainly no doubting that you are _our_ Starscream."

"No. There is not," Thundercracker agreed. "Now the trick will be for us all to survive the first day we are back together."

"Oh, we _will_ survive," Starscream vowed. "At any cost. And we will find my little human, and we will keep her alive. Let nothing, let no one stand in your way."

"And if we come across Megatron?" Skywarp asked nervously.

"It will be his end," Starscream stated. But he had said that before on many different occasions. During times when he had far more advantages than he did now and followers in greater number, followers who had dwindled over the mega-cycles as his attempts to take out Megatron continually failed.

But this time it was a failure he could not afford to have. Signaling that he was ready, Skywarp teleported them miles from Megatron's stronghold.

"Stay here and regain your energy. Once you do, join us," Starscream commanded of Skywarp, knowing what a drain it could be on his systems to teleport more than one at a time. "Thundercracker, you're with me."


	37. Together

Jealous. Alexis felt jealous, incomprehensible disregard for other emotions escaping her attention. Just watched as Mika was suddenly flown back when the AllSpark shard made contact, Sam running after while jumping and rolling, somehow managing to catch Mikaela as they continued to slide across the smooth floor underneath.

Overhead lights flickering and turning off, Alexis watched as Mikaela convulsed. Light hovered under her flesh before she opened her eyes, beams of illumination beckoning through the darkness before dimming and fading away.

"What the hell was that?" Rad asked. His hand rising up, a flashlight brightened the once pitch black room. The wailing of the alarms stopped. Already Sam was picking up Mikaela, pulling her firmly against his chest.

"I'm not quite sure... I think, I think..." Sam spluttered, words crashing out of his mouth with uncertainty. Pushing the panic back he began to look around.

"Put me down, Sam," Mika spoke softly, voice firm. Sam did as he was ordered. Mikaela stood shakily then more firm, any signs of what had just happened fading away as strength radiated off her frame. "I know how to get us out of here."

* * *

Their escape being a rather long, seemingly never-ending ventilation shaft, the four made their way off the Decepticon base. So many ominous sounds were around, beneath and above them, that by the time they did happen outside they were prepared for the worse.

Finding themselves still alive they had no other option but to take off running. Fortunately, they were shielded from detection by some borrowed Autobot tech. But even still, the probability of nearly running into some Deception scouts was increasing, the forces after them obviously numerous. By the time they heard Megatron himself issuing a threat, they knew their chances of survival was decreasing. It was just a matter of time before the Decepticons deciphered their shielding frequency, just a matter of time before the four humans reached their limits.

Managing to make their way to a restaurant, a halfway point between safety zones, not only were they exhausted, but tense. Eating and drinking water they discussed their options. Now secure for the moment, they decided a rest was called for.

It was the moment they were settled, Sam taking first watch; that light appeared in the middle of them all, stabilizing and stretching upwards it took on form.

"On edge a bit?" Skywarp took a step forward, all the humans' weapons trained on his body. He looked down at Alexis, the corner of his mouth lifting. "I am here to assist."

* * *

"So gained another fragment of the AllSpark," Skywarp mused, the four having explained all that had happened. "But how long were you planning to be holed up here?"

None of the humans said a word.

Skywarp smirked, hands going through his perfectly messy dark purplish hair, fingers sliding down to his neck where he straightened the already faultlessly aligned collar of his sleek dress shirt. His fingers disappeared in his pants pockets as he stood casually alert. "You are stuck and pretty much surrounded. And have managed to gain Megatron's _personal_ attention. All in all," Skywarp glanced over at Mikaela, "pretty much slagged now that he knows you have the AllSpark. Megatron will stop at nothing now." The humanized Seeker smiled, a rather arrogant brow lifting upwards.

"We can still get away," Rad spoke up, "Once we get a hold of the Auto..."

"Yes," Warp hissed. "Always so dependent on your Autobot masters. But they will _not_ be coming for you this time. You should have killed Megatron when you had the chance." He rolled his eyes, shaking his head with contempt and open amusement. "Oh _wait_, countless Autobots have tried _including_ Prime himself. Decepticons have ventured along that path, even entire planets and numerous species, but you, _small_, infantile, armor-less, yes _you_, surely you would succeed where all others have failed," the Seeker wailed with laughter and cackled with delight.

"I thought you said you came to help," Sam spoke, rising to his feet, arms dropped stiffly against his legs. Eyes narrowing at the Seeker, he complained bitterly, "This _isn't_ helping."

Halting his laughter, Skywarp took a domineering step toward Sam. "Yes, I suppose I did. But first you humans will regenerate. You will be of no use to anyone in the current state you are in. Alexis, you are with me." Leaning down he brought Alexis to her feet. "And _you,_ AllSpark carrier." He pointed forward.

"My _name_ is Mikaela."

"AllSpark carrier," he repeated even more firmly, ignoring her completely. "You would be wise to rest as well. You are brimming with quite potent energy. If you do not control yourself, well..." He circled his hands in the air while motioning behind them beyond the chairs and tables and back at where all the electronic food service equipment was. "We could be surrounded by new life which would most certainly lead us to being discovered."

Skywarp began to pull Alexis away from the group, but not before she heard Sam speak with hushed caution and nervousness, "Uh, Mikaela, you want to hand over any electronics you have? Starting with that new gun of yours? No, stay where you are, I'll come to you."

* * *

If it was one thing Alexis was learning during her time with Skywarp, it was that unlike Thundercracker, he had no problems at all in touching her. Even now he had his hand wrapped firmly around her wrist. Ever since she lost Starscream, she was very sensitive as to who touched her, and while she was usually able to indulge Skywarp at the moment she was unable.

But he only tightened his grip when she tried to get out of it. Leading her through the back of the restaurant, he pushed the swinging door open as he led her into the kitchen. It was so dark that Alexis could barely see a thing. Stopping, Skywarp turned a small light on and the room brightening drastically.

"I brought her," Skywarp said. Letting go of her hand, he shifted to behind her, pushing her back gently as he motioned Alexis forward with a radiant, face filling grin.

Alexis stopped, turning to Skywarp, she watched him lean against a metal table, motioning once more with his hands for her to move forward; his bright brown eyes were heavy with expectation.

"Alexandra."

Her whole body stiffened and coiled, heart-rate increasing as she shifted around on her feet. She had thought she felt him, thought she felt his energy. But she ignored it, sick and tired of the hope that could come unexpectedly.

But it did look like Starscream who was leaning against a far wall. More beautiful than ever with his dark hair short once more, but unruly and spiked, bangs strategically dipping here and there upon his forehead, giving him a mysterious, dangerous look that left her breathless. And those alluring ruby eyes of his, Alexis had almost forgotten. And the clothes he wore, dark olive pants and multilayered shirts, all perfect upon his lean, muscular form. The precise simplicity of what he wore only multiplying the power that he was capable of exuding.

Starscream was just staring at her, awed yet determined. Unable to move, he came to her. Reaching for Alexis, he pulled her forcefully against him. Her small body landed hard against his body.

He was whispering to her, but she couldn't seem to focus on the words. Was this another dream? A nightmare? Had she fallen asleep? Yet she didn't normally dream as him being human, not near as much as his mech form. Remaining still she allowed him to hold her and touch her, to continue to breathe her in and speak. Pushing her a little back, his face hovered above hers, moving down slowly until his mouth caught her own.

Kissing electricity. That was what it was like. Knees wobbling and chest tightening, her eyes widened before her lids drew shut, blocking her in a world of ecstasy and truth. Flashes came with thoughts twirling and shifting around in her head that weren't her own, familiar whispers caressing her mind and easing her heart. This was Starscream. The energy, there was no denying that, nor anything else as the two joined minds. But this wasn't like the time in the tent nor in the hangar bay before Starscream's departure. This was heated pleasure and surging longing, despair and solace. She could feel his body pressing so close, yet her mind drifted and floated away. Finding the overpowering thumping of his spark, Alexis returned. Filled yet still not filled enough, that newly discovered need of hers was overshadowed by the desire and hunger of Starscream.

So she didn't understand, eyes opening as she blinked back the sudden brightness, why everything suddenly stopped. Pain grew in her belly as she breathed out tremors of breath.

"Why did you stop?" Alexis asked, breathless and focusing on standing. She was scared still of the intimacy that could be between them if they continued, unable to forget the pain from their first encounter in the cell of Megatron's lair. And yet, despite her terror if this was all she was being offered, she would take it.

"Because the way I feel, I am going to need you more than once, and we don't have time for that right now." Starscream was amused, his eyes dark with lust, that mouth of his holding her attention as she drifted along its desirable fullness. He was too much, far too attractive, and just touching him with her gaze was making Alexis' thoughts wander, her imagination take off.

Despite his words, he was back upon her in seconds. Pushing her against a large metal shelf, Alexis heard objects fall off it and crash down around their feet.

"Come with me now, Alexis, and I will lead you to me. We have been separated long enough, and I long to be one with you," he breathed restlessly.

"What about the others?"

"Abandon your altruistic nature this once. I need you." He lightly drew his fingers down her mouth and past her throat, landing gently on her heart. "The Autobots will find them eventually." His hand continued on its journey, landing on her hip where he rubbed small, distracting circles. He whispered in her ear, "Slag, femme. I have never seen you in all black, and its making me even more ruttish." He tugged on her jacket, unzipping it easily as his hands disappeared underneath. "Perhaps... perhaps..."

"Take her or don't, but you better make it quick. We don't have much time."

Alexis should have felt embarrassed; Skywarp had seen everything. She had forgotten all about him, an oddity in itself since all the Seekers had such presence, one that lingered even after they left the area she was in.

"Leave us, and make sure the other humans don't interrupt us," Starscream ordered. "Alexis needs to recharge."

"Recharge?" Skywarp chuckled. Jumping off the counter, he got to his feet, winking at Alexis. "Now there is a _new_ word for it. Are you sure I can't stay? I really want to." Skywarp suddenly gulped, back straightening as he scampered out of the room from whatever threat Starscream delivered through their link. "OK, OK, I am leaving," he said, narrowing his eyes at Starscream. "No need to get so snippy."

* * *

"So you really did die?" It seemed like hours passed since Skywarp had left, and since she saw Starscream again. They had talked for a while, and now were on the tiled kitchen floor, lying with one another. Her back was firmly placed against his body; his arm wrapped around her waist tight, her head resting on his outstretched arm. Starscream wouldn't let her move, stating that if she touched him anymore than she already had that he would devour her. And while that both frightened and excited Alexis, she found her questions far outweighed the tightness in her steadily beating heart.

He shook his head. "In regards to how you humans classify it, yes. I feel your confusion, Alexis, but you have asked enough questions. You need to rest. In a couple of hours..."

Alexis interrupted, "You really can feel me? But why can't I feel you? I mean I feel your energy," she flushed and exhaled hard, desire coming back as it fluttered down her body. "But beyond that I..."

"Rest, Alexis. When we are bonded once more all your questions will be answered."

Several long minutes passed.

"I... With that other you... I..." Alexis whispered, her words strained, her tone bereaved.

"I know."

"Do you despise me?"

"No. It is how I am able to feel you now. And he was a part of me."

"So you remember?"

"Yes. Rest now."

"You won't leave me again?" Alexis was exhausted, and it was a challenge alone to keep her eyes open, but the paralyzing fear of not finding Starscream when she woke was enough not to give in to the much-needed sleep.

"I will need to soon, but that will be the last time," he tried to assure, a vow in his words.

"Where are you now, Starscream?"

Starscream caressed the side of her hip, fingers lightly brushing down her leg before folding over her waist once more and then curling over her offered hand. His voice beautifully low, he responded, "With you."

Hearing that was somehow enough, closing her eyes, Alexis drifted. Dreams were not forthcoming, but now she no longer needed them.

Starscream was back.


	38. Protector

The couple talked for sometime. Observing them as best as he could, Skywarp listened to Starscream and Alexis, somewhat fascinated in the way his trinemate treated the human. He could not recall in all his time serving with the Supreme Air Commander, when he had ever seen him so intent on engaging in conversation. On many occasions, Starscream had let him know all that femmes were supposedly good for, most of which were activities that involved more than just one's mouth.

And Skywarp could feel how much Starscream wanted the human. Feel the amorous intent and suppressed sexual chaos, the need and the thinly veiled restraint. And yet all he did was hold her and then watch as she slept, his eyes not wandering off her face nor body.

Keeping the other humans away wasn't a difficult task at all. They remained in the dining area. Two slept while another kept watch, the humans shifting sentinel positions once or twice.

Pushing through the swinging doors into the kitchen, Skywarp caught Starscream's attention.

"It's time to move."

As Alexis was gently woken up by the Supreme Air Commander, she stirred, stretched and lifted her gaze up to Starscream. Her hands reached up to his face as she traced the curves around his nose and mouth, looking at him with astonishment and unshed tears.

"Starscream."

All she said was his name and yet a strange, livening chill went up the back of Skywarp's spine. Backing out of the kitchen and leaning heavily against the wall, his hand went to his chest, a tight pressure building.

* * *

Skywarp was given the task of leading the humans as Thundercracker and Starscream cleared a path toward them. Already, hours passed since their journey had started. Between avoiding the increasing Decepticon forces and forced to alter course more than several times, he could see that what once had been a simple task in his processor was going to be anything but.

He actually didn't mind interacting with the humans for the most part. And enjoyed observing Alexis. She was dressed in all black like the rest of her companions, wearing multipocketed pants that accentuated her small frame, a tank top covered by a long jacket that was closed with large snap like prongs and a half-opened zipper. She looked pale and small. Alexis' bright eyes were glowing, her brownish red hair pulled back away from her head, which accentuated the ethereal, fragile appearance.

"How long have you known?" Now taking a break, Alexis moved near him. Her gaze was faraway while her thoughts were obviously elsewhere.

"Not long," Skywarp told the girl. He watched as she stretched and sighed, then breathed out deeply as she settled down on the ground. Arms wrapping around her legs, Alexis balanced herself on her small feet.

"You could have told me," she admonished gently while frowning.

"Starscream would have terminated me if I did."

She chuckled shortly at that. "I should have seen something coming; you have acted a little strange lately."

"How so?" Skywarp asked with interest.

"You haven't been talking as much," she stated simply, chin lifting as she offered him a knowing smile. Standing, her shoulder brushed against Skywarp when she leaned slightly toward his ear.

"I also know that we have reached the limits of our evasion," Alexis whispered. Her eyes wandered over to her friends who were sitting in front of a large log. They were talking quietly and looking at sensory equipment. "And that we are about to be surrounded," she said calmly, gaze lifting up to his own.

His neck jerked and eyes widened at her revelation. Skywarp forgot that she was rather intuitive about such things. And the rather vibrant energy signature of hers that always tugged across his consciousness, should have kept him from forgetting that she wasn't exactly standard issue.

"I can feel them all around," she explained. "I think the others know as well. So what exactly are your plans for us?"

Words not even finished, a small missile whizzed through the air before embedding itself into a tree behind them. Grabbing onto Alexis' arm, he pulled her away. The explosion sounded off behind them as they were shoved forcefully through the air. Protecting her as best as he could, Skywarp covered her with his body, both falling down as he cushioned her fall. Picking Alexis up, placing the girl on her feet, he pulled her along as they caught up with the others.

* * *

So humans weren't entirely worthless. That was the conclusion Skywarp came to after the four humans had managed to survive not one, but now three direct encounters with the Decepticon forces.

And his preconceptions about Alexis were off the mark as well. But he had known that the weakened state in which he finally interacted with the femme, could not have been how Starscream saw her. And there had been small revelations of her strength here and there that he had been unable to ignore; faint glimmers of a provocative nature that served to entice.

To watch them fight was also interesting. How they used their size against their opponents as they took them down, trapped them or even evaded them. Since it was the first time to see Alexis' imploder in action, he was enthralled with that as well. Watching the wielder of the weapon use it with such effectiveness, he was stunned by her tenacity and resolve, enamored with her shows of strength and flexibly feminine form in action.

Climbing up a steep hill, six Decepticons lay incapacitated not even a mile behind. Running, fighting, moving and keeping distance, they had no other choice but to engage the enemy. For their time frame of getting out of the area was quickly lessening. If they didn't make it out soon, they would be stuck and at Megatron's mercy.

Distracted in an update from Starscream, it took Skywarp a moment before he realized that the human male designated Rad, was once more placing his hand on Alexis' body. This time as he assisted her up the mound of inclined dirt, his careless eyes hovering for way too long on the girl as he did so.

"Leg go and move along," Skywarp growled while pulling the male's hand off Alexis as he pushed Rad back. "Touch this female one more time and I will rip your arm out of its socket," he threatened, eyes narrowing with his body stretching as he prepared to take the male down.

Rad gulped hard, but stood his ground, his hard blue eyes fixed upon the Seeker that did not waver.

"He was just trying to help, Warp," Alexis spoke up, frowning as she did so with those green eyes of hers wandering down his frame. Sensing his aggravation and intent, she took a cautious step closer.

"If you need assistance, _I_ shall give it to you," he demanded, ready to grab Alexis' hand with his own, but waylaid when the other male intruded.

"Um, guys?" Sam broke in, pushing the two men apart as he had the audacity to place a hand on the girl before his mate took over. The Mikaela one held onto Alexis' hand as the two females continued their ascent, their heads turning here and there to take in the heated verbal exchange. "How about we keep moving and keep the aggression for what lies ahead," the boy offered with an uneasy chuckle.

Skywarp kept his attention on Alexis while watching her movements, irritated that he had been separated.

"As long as you males remember who Alexis belongs to, and that touching her again without permission will be the ultimate offense that I, nor my Trine will let slide."

"Uh, trying to make it out of here alive," Sam huffed. Poking Skywarp in the chest, his eyes narrowed and then opened wide. Hand going to his thigh, Sam drew his weapon as he ran up the inclined path. Cursing, the boy raced after the females as weapon fire commenced once more.

* * *

They were pinned.

Skywarp supposed it was only a matter of time before such an outcome occurred, but seeing how he kept having the inclination to take to the air; he found he was rather bewildered. From the beginning, he could have just warped in and grabbed the female and met up with the Starscream and Thundercracker. But the Supreme Air Commander had been firm, whatever Alexis decided would be how they played things, so leaving the other humans behind was unfortunately not an option.

At the rate they were going, they still had at least four hours to go before they reached the others, but now that they were unable to advance and their options were fading.

"To the right!" Sam yelled. His gun long abandoned, he now held an advanced rifle that had been tinkered with by Autobot engineers and upgraded for human necessity. Shooting small projectiles that exploded on impact, its damage was efficient and violent. Between that, the AllSpark carrier's blaster, the other male's missile launcher and Alexis' imploder, they were managing to keep the Decepticons back, at least for now.

Skywarp was capable of fighting as well, using whatever weaponry he could think of. Unfortunately, he had to limit his attacks while saving them for when they were most needed. The more he assisted in the violence, the weaker the stability of his holo-form became.

"Behind you!" Rad shouted.

Alexis dropped down, barely avoiding an explosion from a Decepticon's flame shooter, leveling her wrist, extreme concentration coming upon her brow, her imploder discharged. The fire extinguished and the Decepticon barreled back. Alexis advanced as she fired again and once more, diving down as she was fired upon by another advancing 'Con.

The other female took care of that Decepticon. Alexis crawled to cover and managed to make it to a large cement road block; Skywarp hastened to her. They were running out of places to hide, forced and corralled to an open highway. Their choices for cover were quickly dissipating as one by one they were obliterated.

"To the right!" Sam hollered again. Taking the moment of relative calm, he motioned erratically with his free hand.

Skywarp and Alexis being the closest to what the male was talking about, they looked in the direction he was pointing. Their gazes leveled downwards; they saw his intent.

"Go, Mikaela," Sam told his mate while pushing her towards their position. Already Alexis was climbing over the railing. Sliding down the cemented hill, she made her way to the bottom. Mikaela followed next after anxiously looking behind for her mate.

"Go, Mika," Sam repeated. "We will be right there."

She did as she was told and Skywarp followed along. The two females were already running when the explosion sounded off, when cement broke off and came tumbling down after them.

"Sam!" Mikaela screamed, stopping mid run as she twisted around.

"Keep moving, they are alive. Now isn't the time for indecisiveness," Skywarp stated evenly. Grabbing hold of her, he forced her forward. He would not allow the female, no matter how close she was to Alexis, or what state her mate was in, to bring harm to the girl he was committed to protecting.

"I can't just leave him," Mika said, pounding against his chest as she tried to shove him away. "Let go!"

Fortunately, a moment later, Sam contacted her and told her to keep moving.

Frowning, Alexis grabbed hold of Mikaela's hand. "We have to keep going," Alexis spoke firmly. "We're still being followed."

Mika shook her head while resolutely pushing long strands of dark hair behind her ears. Wiping off shed tears, she leveled her sharp eyes at the Seeker, animosity breaking loose.

"Fine. Let's go."

* * *

It didn't take long to figure out that despite the humans separating, the females were the main target, or that is the AllSpark was.

And by the time he led the two femmes to a momentarily safe haven, surrounded by more danger than ever as the sounds of Decepticon forces filled the air, it was then that Skywarp knew he had to leave.

For his alt-mode had been discovered. He had exactly forty-two seconds before he was found, and in weapons range. Giving what orders he could spare in the time allotted, he expected panic and confusion from the human females, only to receive determination and conviction.

"Go. We haven't come this far to be killed," Alexis assured while grabbing him into an unexpected flash of a hug that had Skywarp's chest constricting and eyes widening as he was momentarily distracted by the rare contact that she instigated. "Stay safe, Warp," she breathed out.

With that his holo-form deactivated while his thrusters kicked on-line as he lifted upwards. Weapons already registering the enemy forces, Skywarp took them down. No longer inhibited by fleshy restrictions, he made his way to his Trine mates, destruction and chaos following in his wake as he terminated with prejudice.


	39. Downfall

Several long hours had gone by since Skywarp left Alexis and Mikaela behind. Alexis had taken that time to reassure her friend, who after they lost contact with Rad and her husband, had taken on a rather panicky sort of disposition that while Alexis understood was only multiplying her own anxieties.

A wild torrent of emotions and thoughts captured her attention, taking Alexis on trips of despair and ephemeral bouts of joy. Even ordered by Skywarp to remain where they were, an abandoned high school that seemed to have its own ghosts from the past, she wanted to move and push forward, see Starscream again and hear his voice. Feel his body next to her own and the mind-boggling energy of his that made her blood rush. It was cruel to be away from him, a torment.

"Do you hear that?"

Blinking hard while backing away from distant fantasies and heavy buried truths, Alexis lifted her head before angling it to the side as she listened carefully.

"Yeah, I do," she informed Mikaela. "And I feel..."

"Autobots!" Mika finished for her with carefully measured excitement. "I feel it too. Haven't been able to feel Cybertronians like this since I was pregnant."

"Probably because you have more of the AllSpark."

Her friend shook her head, frowning as she cringed. Breathing out deep, standing up in the long hallway, she yet again brought her weapon forward to check its charge.

"You want to go out there? Don't you?" Alexis asked, even when she already knew the answer.

Mikaela snapped her eyes upon her as she nodded her head. "Now that the Autobots are here, we should be able to get through. By the sound of it the Decepticons are now occupied. So what do you say?" Mika bit her lip. "Want to risk it?"

Alexis shook her head, mouth tight. "I can't stay here any longer. If I do I think I will go crazy."

Mikaela grabbed onto her arm, leading her past the lockers and beyond the abandoned classrooms. Their pace building into a run, they headed for the exit. Prepared for confrontation, their weapons were up and ready.

* * *

It wasn't the first-time Alexis tasted the coppery taste of blood in her mouth that day, but it was the first that she started to see black shadows in her peripheral vision, an illusion of solidity that betrayed her senses. Unable to stop running, her chest heaved tight as her lungs worked on overtime.

Of course, they were being followed. Even the arrival of the Autobots couldn't have stopped all the Decepticon forces. Ducking between the Autobots and the 'Cons, the two fought were they could, but avoided what they were allowed. Both women were focused on moving forward and reaching their goal.

Still outnumbered, they couldn't even rely on the Autobots assistance. But it would have been far too easy, Alexis supposed, if one of them just offered them a ride out and away from the middle of the battle.

"I think we are being led somewhere again," Mika yelled to Alexis, grabbing her as the two slammed against a tree. The top exploded above them and rained down while leaves, branches and huge chunks of splintered wood slammed down onto the ground. Rolling, jumping, shifting and twisting they avoided what they could. Neither escaped without a scratch or two, Mika gaining a large gash on the back of her hand that bled readily.

Neither was in top form. Bodies taxed, each were with enough scrapes and bruises to have lasted a life time. And while Alexis' healed nearly immediately, her clothes were still stained with patches of blood while burn marks and even the smell of putrid energon lined her body from one fight or another.

Alexis didn't even think about it anymore. Just attacked as she was attacked and fought as hard as she could. And now with Mikaela's blaster drained, it was up to her to defend both.

Yes, they were being corralled somewhere again. Interesting how she could identify the Deception's tactics so easily now. But even as Alexis tried to turn left instead of right, or go up the inclined path instead of back down, they were always forced here or there, one thing or another making them change their decided upon course.

To find a line of humans waiting for them in the middle of the road and blocking their path with weapons aimed and ready was disheartening. Fighting Decepticons was one thing, but Alexis was not prepared to fight her own kind.

The Decepticon's human soldiers distracted from behind by more arriving Autobots; Mikaela and Alexis vaulted forward. It was the first-time Alexis had the chance to use what Prowl had taught her. Surprised by her own reactionary state and reflexes, she found it rather stimulating to be able to fight with such one-on-one contact. Avoiding a just thrown punch, she swallowed back the fear that was trying to rise again. Her opponent at the moment was large and muscular, his face hidden under a black mask like the others, his hollowed eyes peering out. Jabbed hard on her shoulder, she was thrown back. The man reached along his thigh as he pulled out a long serrated knife. Swallowing hard and biting down on her lip, Alexis kicked her legs out and swung them underneath. The soldier fell as the knife went flying. Jumping back to her feet, Alexis kicked the man's stomach hard. Then folding her arm, she shot her elbow toward the assailant's nose. Using her straightened fingers, Alexis jabbed hard on his ill-protected jugular.

The hollowed eyes shut tight, leaving Alexis' adrenaline pumping as she waited for the next foe. None came, not for the lack of those that were surrounding them, but because suddenly all motion stopped. The human soldiers dropped to their knees as they bowed low.

That queasy, unsettling feeling that had hovered underneath her consciousness made itself known. Megatron stepped forward, flanked by his guards as a rather large and domineering sneer settled onto his jagged continuance. Autobots came at him, but they might as well have been flies. They were shot, torn apart and cut in half. Megatron ordered his mechs to stay behind as he advanced upon the two girls alone.

"These vermin are mine," Megatron announced with malevolent eagerness.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Alexis fired blindly. Legs moving forward on their own accord, she took off in a sprint while tugging on Mikaela as she passed by.

* * *

Alexis was sick of cement. Sick of paved paths and hard roads, sick of the blisters that were on her heels and the terror in her stomach, sick of hearing Megatron's jibes and belittlements, his threats and the sound of his monstrous weapon display.

Now on an empty highway, they were hiding behind a tow truck, one of the many abandoned vehicles on the vast stretched-out path. Megatron was playing with them at the moment. One by one taking out a car here, a truck there, taking his time as he cleared the path to them. When he fired his weapon was the best time to move, but seeing how much destruction came every time he did, they weren't getting very far.

They hadn't spoken to one another since Megaton appeared. Both were too frightened as self-preservation took over, everything they felt was relayed through wide-eyed glances.

About another minute and the Decepticon tyrant would be upon them, even if they ran it wouldn't have done any good. Alexis could still feel the Autobots nearby, but not close enough. They were all alone and soon to be killed, or from what threats she allowed herself to hear, captured... for purposes she wouldn't allow herself to think of.

Mikaela grabbed onto Alexis' shoulder, her mouth pinched tight while remorse filled her eyes. Alexis didn't like giving up, but from the start they had been against too great of odds. She couldn't help but wonder where Starscream was and what was taking him so long. And why after everything she had been through was she forced to face Megatron as well?

One penetrating step followed and then another, the road underneath them warbling and vibrating as Megatron stopped right before them. That was when something truly amazing happened. The tow truck in front of them began to move and fold out, the two thrown back as they watched it transform into one enormous Cybertronian right before their eyes. A long chained hook shot out of its massive beige colored hand, whizzing loudly in the air before shooting toward the equally surprised Megatron.

Yet it didn't end there. Instinctively, Alexis' attention fell onto Mika. Sparks of energy left her friends fingertips, traveling along the cemented road until it found a viable source for its life-giving. Abandoned vehicles sprang up and into robotic forms, each following the tow trucks lead as Megatron became their target.

Mouth dropping open, Alexis only had one word that she was capable of uttering.

"Damn."

Somehow, that seemed to sum it up.

* * *

Despite the sudden reinforcements, Megatron came after them soon enough, his own soldiers handling the newly awakened allied soldiers.

He had been angry before, but now, coming right for them; he looked enraged. Alexis fired at him as best as she could. Betrayed by her own nerves, her hand shook, which forced her aim slightly off target. But Megatron didn't even notice her weapon fire. Thrusting his fist down on the ground, the pavement crumbled beneath their feet, throwing Mikaela and Alexis hard against the cement as their bodies went rolling.

Shaking herself away from the introduced pain, Alexis made her way to Mika while blocking the girl with her body as Megatron swung his hand down at them. Just a fraction of an inch before making contact, his deadly hand stopped short, hovering right before the girls and moving no further.

"What's this?" Megatron raged, optics leveling on the two as he spat out a couple of incited curses.

Again, he tried to strike them, and again, he was unable. He kept his hand in place, testing whatever the hindrance was. Alexis' imploder started to beep, and a small screen popped up. At first, she didn't understand what it was trying to tell her, but she did when she saw a model of a jagged circle surrounding them. Somewhere along the line her imploder was upgraded with a force-field. While Megatron hovered over the invisible barrier, Alexis was able to observe a colored spectrum on the small screen go from green to orange and to red before beeping wildly right before Megatron drew back.

One more time of him doing that and Alexis was sure the field was going to quit. As if sensing her own thoughts, Megatron roared while his hand came barreling back, connecting with the nothingness before striking at it again. She could almost feel the strength behind the blows, but then realized it was Mikaela gripping hard to the side of her body, so tightly that Alexis was starting to go numb.

With one final weakened beep, the imploder dropped of her wrist.

Now weaponless and defenseless, Alexis found words of babel cracking through her head, a plea of sorts that only God could decipher. Tears fell helplessly from her widened eyes, eyes that were focused on Megatron's rising hand. Falling downwards it came crashing toward them, racing along with wind and air, the merciless appendage barreling toward them before stopping. Screeching metal filled the air as his arm was forced to give in and stop.

"What the slag?"

Peace came over Alexis, a settled feeling of calmness that overwhelmed and overtook her senses. He _wasn't_ going to touch her. Suddenly, she understood that. And even as he tried to push his hand forward while his sharp digits extended and angled toward them, she knew and believed that truth beyond all others.

"What is this?" Megatron bellowed down at them.

But he wasn't going to get an answer. And as that ephemeral peace left Alexis, a familiar roar of an engine sounded off from above.

He landed before her heart could even catch up with the idea that Starscream was finally there. A blade extending from his arm, he thrust it viciously into Megatron. The Decepticon lord was not impressed. Easily backing off of the blade, energon spilled forth as the stench of Cybertronian fluids filled the area. Hardly waylaid, Starscream struck once more and again, Megatron fighting back as he shook Starscream off.

"Seekers to me," Starscream commanded as he shook his hand forward. The blade folded further out while curved edges glinting dangerously. The Seeker pounced. Megatron easily deflected, yet that didn't stop a blade from appearing in the middle of his vast chassis when Skywarp suddenly appeared behind him from a flash of light and moving air. Thundercracker arrived seconds later with a blaster cannon aimed at Megatron and already firing. Starscream shoved his hand forward, blade disappearing inside the Decepticon lord.

The violent scuffle continued, but not for long. Alexis watched, dumfounded and unable to move or call out as the end of Megatron came about, the three Seekers taking him down.


	40. Bend

"All Hail, Lord High Protector! All Hail, Starscream!"

The look on Starscream's face as those words were shouted out and offered to his trinemate was nothing Thundercracker had ever imagined it to be. However, his wingmate blasting at half of them, especially aiming for those he knew were loyal to Megatron beyond most, was more expected. A half stunted smile building on TC while he watched those unfortunate scatter and flee.

Starscream finally achieved what he always wanted: unequivocal control over the Decepticon army. Those brave enough to stay behind, bowed low before the three, cementing that truth, as did Megatron's unmoving form below their pediforms. Yet the Supreme Seeker was little affected. Ignoring the shouts of his new-found glory and prestige, he went directly to his human.

Skywarp ordered to take the other female; the three took flight. Starscream momentarily hovered above the spark-less Megatron before launching his entire cache of missiles. What was left of Megatron and most of the area surrounding him was blasted to the pit.

"Slag, TC, we just... I mean..." Skywarp opened their shared link, his voice in awe and full of cheerful excitement.

Thundercracker cut in, "Defeated Megatron, Warp," Thundercracker replied dryly.

"That means _we_ are in control now. We can do anything we want!" Skywarp chirped giddily.

"As far as I can tell, you have _always_ done _exactly_ what you wanted anyway."

"Yeah, but now I can do it with _true_ exuberance!"

Their conversation interrupted by orders from Starscream, they altered course.

* * *

Since their return after Megatron's defeat, they had been interrogated by Optimus Prime three times. Two times more than Thundercracker believed necessary. Of course, they left details out; plans left unspoken. But even TC could feel the tension building on the base. Especially now that Starscream was the lord of all Decepticons and more of a potential threat. For it was easily understood that the Autobots and Prime were no longer needed. The three Seekers were watched acutely by the residents on the Autobots' base, as if they were waiting for something to give.

They would have never returned to the base at all if it hadn't been for the human. Not that Thundercracker felt resentment for that, if anything, he was amused by the residents' new reactions to them all and fear that radiated and was ready to explode. But it wasn't just because of the female that they returned. And while Starscream would have never uttered the truth, TC knew that Starscream's new position could be a short-lived one. Using the Autobots as protection while he solidified his updated status and warded off potential threats, they made preparations for their future.

One of the first things Starscream did upon their return, besides re-claiming the human as his own, was designate a personal guard for the girl, a further wall of protection that he obviously took with utmost seriousness.

And while the Supreme Seeker was obviously occupied with Megatron's demise, the human female took up even more of his time. When they first returned, TC wasn't sure if the two were ever going to leave Starscream's quarters. Still, after all the weeks that had passed since she was re-claimed by Starscream, TC could not get used to the surges of emotions from his trinemate. And when they sparked, Thundercracker thought his processor would fry. Erotic emotions and deep longings tried to emerge until he figured out how to block most of it, enough of it still getting through that it shook his matrix. How such a small creature could engender such passion from the hard-to-please Starscream was something Thundercracker could not ignore. He was just grateful that the Supreme Air Commander was beginning to filter the link during their sparking sessions.

"I want her too."

The three Seekers were in Starscream's quarters. It was the first time the human had left for such a long period of time as she visited her parents. Thundercracker was learning that Starscream could become agitated when the human was not in optic sight. And while the female and the Supreme Seeker obviously shared an intimate connection; he also knew it was not as established a link as the one the Trine had.

Skywarp's outburst did not go unnoticed. But Starscream ignored it just the same; his optics were on a map of the Earth while the small holographic globe rotated before them.

"You know the old adage: bonded to one Seeker, bonded to all."

With that Starscream turned off the projection, his optics hovering slowly upwards to land on his just spoken wingmate, Warp.

"That custom is outdated and has not been observed for some time," Starscream responded slowly, his vocals low and curiously unaffected.

"Only as old as the last time a member of a Trine took a mate."

Starscream huffed at that, showing more patience than TC would have ever given him credit for. "She is mine and _mine_ alone. If you cannot tolerate this, find another human to banish your curiosity with."

"But Alexis is right here and capable of _so_ much more sensory data. And she likes me, and you have _always_ shared in the past," Skywarp objected, taking Starscream's tolerant manner as an excuse to continue.

"Stop right there," Starscream commanded, his ease of manner breaking up and away and shattering back. "She may _tolerate_ you, but she does not _want_ you. And she is _my_ mate not some worthless femme to be passed along. And if you so much as mention any of this to Alexandra, I will tear all your appendages off and siphon your energon reserves."

"I am sure TC wouldn't mind her either," Skywarp went eagerly on, bypassing all that was said as he took on selective hearing. "And it is so unfair that we have to feel what you feel for the human, feel how she pleasures you, feel the stir of your spark and the heat when you claim her. I want her too!"

Skywarp wasn't the only one with selective hearing as suddenly Starscream's critical gaze fell on Thundercracker.

"Is this so, TC? Do you want her as well?"

Thundercracker didn't even bother to answer. The question was as ridiculous as it was preposterous. Just because Skywarp couldn't differentiate between his trinemate's desire and his own, didn't mean he had such difficulties.

"Doesn't matter," Skywarp pouted, "I have first dibs."

Starscream lifted swiftly from his seat, hand folding back and away as his blaster emerged. A shot was fired, barely missing the purple Seeker as smoke filled the compartment.

"Hey!" Skywarp screeched, jumping back as he waved his hands frantically.

"I recommend you stop right there," Starscream warned with bitter aggravation. "I would hate to have to permanently off-line you when I am in need of loyal comrades."

"But..."

Another shot was fired off, this time the blast grazed the right of Skywarp's cockpit.

"Anything else you want to add?" Starscream questioned with an optic ridge rising.

There wasn't.

* * *

The attack had not been the first assassination attempt, but it was the first in which the human was with them. She had not been injured, perhaps stunned a little and shaken, but obviously not hurt. But that was enough for Starscream, and it allowed TC to see some of his fellow Seeker's mania for the human. Especially when Thundercracker was called aside, Starscream giving him an order.

"I want you to take my human away for a while. There are some things I need to finish up before we leave this planet, and it would be best if Alexis was not around to see it."

Yes, Starscream was one with plenty of excuses and misdirections when the human was involved. A ludicrous mentality when all one had to do was see how he looked at Alexis and reacted to her presence to see the truth.

"You want me to guard her?" Thundercracker questioned with unease. "That would be a job better suited for Skywarp. They do get along quite well."

A dissatisfied look was thrown his way, but the cause of it not addressed. "Take Windglider as well. I want you to leave immediately."

"The human will not go."

TC was right, for the most part. It took a full week before the human agreed to it, and during those days was the first time that he saw the two argue. Thundercracker didn't know what was the deciding factor on the girl changing her mind, but by the time TC took her under his charge, she was radiating discontent.

"He said he would never part from me again," Alexis whispered from where she sat inside TC's cockpit as their journey began. Her mouth quavered as small droplets escaped from her eyes and splashed down her white flesh. She appeared as if she wanted to say much more, but she clamped her mouth shut and glared at his monitor as if her lack of elaborating was all his doing.

Perhaps it was though.

During the time when Starscream had been thought dead and then reformatted, she came to him. She didn't really talk much. And Thundercracker saw that when she did open up, she regretted it. His distant responses and indifferent remarks, had left her staring up at him before she altered her attention elsewhere. Staying where she was, they had passed the rest of the time in silence. Yet, she came back to him, over and over. He never really understood why, but he was not one to know human programming. Although he was beginning to learn and starting to understand that logic had nothing to do with any of them.

Starscream didn't want to part from the human. He could have told the creature that, but being his mate, Alexis must have known.

"This won't be for long," Thundercracker spoke up. "We shall be leaving this planet soon."

Her expression turned even more dismal, the lines of her mouth drawing tight. He knew Alexis was still trying to get used to that idea, but she did not seem readily capable of accepting that fate.

"I don't know why it had to be you. Optimus was more than prepared to..."

Thundercracker cut in, "Prime couldn't even stop the explosion from taking place on his own base. If he can't protect what is his own, he most surely can't protect what belongs to another."

"I wasn't even hurt," she said.

"You could have been."

"I can handle it," Alexis stated firmly.

Thundercracker didn't believe that. "Like you were with Megatron? What is it you humans say? Pride comes before a fall, and with that attitude, you will most surely fall."

"The security was tightened; the perimeter defenses upgraded, surely that is enough," Alexis reasoned.

"Those precautions were for naught and for show. The attack was done by a resident _inside_ the base."

Alexis bit her lip and shook her head. "I still find that hard to believe, the Autobots are so..."

He interjected, "If a Decepticon can be turned, surely, human, you should know an Autobot can be as well. There are many out there who want Starscream gone and are offended by his new position. This road you have chosen to take, the mate you have selected... your life... your carefree nature and lack of regard for reality, it will have to come to an end."

Alexis' mouth dropped open at that, her brows rising before her lids dropped into a penetrating stare. Straightening, muscles tightening as tension drifted along the small frame of her body, she leaned partially forward.

"_Carefree_ nature? Do you know the hell I went through when I thought Starscream was dead?" Alexis asked, her tone shifting into a dark spectrum of her personality that he had never observed before. "And then when he changed? I was ripped apart and left half dead, forced to live and tormented by unimaginable physical pain. I am sorry that you are stuck with me... no... _not_ sorry. Just drop me off wherever and Windglider will stay with me. At least he is capable of addressing me by my name," she added, obviously offended.

"I will not drop you off," TC stated calmly.

"What _exactly_ do you have against me?" Alexis suddenly wanted to know.

That was a question he had not thought about for some time. Yes, there had been animosity for her upon his arrival, a dislike present in accordance to the changes that came upon them due to her infiltration. The human no longer an outsider, his view had changed accordingly, and yet there was still a resentment that rusted away at his components. She wasn't just another femme. Wasn't another pleasure Bot, she held actual meaning for one of his own, a contradiction in terms to everything a Decepticon stood for.

And the danger she now represented. The vulnerability she created in his wingmate and for their Trine, their forced exposure to kindness and empathy, softness and hope. Life as a Decepticon warrior was meant to be hate and treachery, destruction and waiting for the ensuing battle, anticipation of the next kill with brutality unending. Energon spilling along the landscapes, sparks extinguished and Autobots off-lined.

"You represent a weakness we cannot afford," Thundercracker finally spoke, summarizing his thoughts into a statement of simplicity.

Her mouth pinched tight with that while the emotional windows that were her eyes darkened with hurt. Blinking that back, she sighed. "Do you know why I came to you all those times when Starscream was gone?" She smiled thinly, shaking her head. "It's because you were straight with me. Didn't try to offer me false hope or air-filled reassurances. Because the way you acted toward me no matter how cold, or indifferent was what I needed. But most important, you didn't change how you treated me just because Starscream was gone... so when I was with you, I could imagine he had never left, and that nothing bad had ever happened."

Pausing before taking a deep breath, the frown she held onto disappeared as if a memory. Offering him a tenuous smile, she went on. Her words were gentle as she appeared conflicted in what she was disclosing. "I don't hate you, Thundercracker. I even respect you in many regards. I hope in time you will see more than someone who bombarded into your life, and perhaps, perhaps we can use this time together and try to learn to get along?" she asked with sudden hopefulness.

She had taken the risk and opened up to him again. Revealing things he was curious about and sending his processor on several stray paths of contemplation. That was strangeness hearing someone say that they didn't hate him. And respect was a word that did not float around his audio receptors often. For a moment, something strange filtered through his mainframe, a flicker of understanding and acceptance that he was so unaccustomed to that he knew he couldn't trust it.

"You are far too soft," TC said with mild chastisement. "Now that you are in my charge, you should know that we do not have to get along. All that is required is that you are protected, and that, human; I shall do."

* * *

Alexis had been holed up for three days in the cabin that was selected for her. Thundercracker had yet to see the human since he brought her there, just watched as hours went by and then days, not much activity happening within. If he didn't understand the confidence Starscream was putting in him with such a task, he would have abandoned his post and delegated the task to another. But he could not take such a show of trust so lightly.

Monitoring her signals throughout the days, they stayed in the normal range with life organ pumping vigorously here and there, but nothing that was a cause for intervention.

Walking around to the back of the cabin while considering taking to the air to get in some flight time and to stretch his wings fully, TC followed Windglider's signal, knowing the dart never strayed far away from his post.

Rounding the corner, he came upon something odd. Starscream was there, sitting on the porch swing with Alexis, the girl asleep and leaning heavily against him. He held her hand, his free one caressing her cheek before dropping down onto a bare shoulder, fingers grazing down the flesh of her arm.

"Screamer?"

The humanized Seeker looked up at Thundercracker; he lifted his hand upwards with his palm out, indicating for TC to stop. Alexis shifted. Starscream got up before leaning back down, picking up the girl in his arms before taking her inside, the small porch door creaking shut.

Seeing that explained a couple of things: her accelerated heartbeat during strange time periods, Starscream's lack of contact with TC, and his mood being far better than TC would have ever expected after he sent his mate off.

It was because Starscream was visiting her. Thundercracker had thought he felt the diluted presence of Starscream, but put it down to the girl. She did have the ability to emulate some of her mate's signals. But all along it had been because Starscream's holo-form had obviously been upgraded after the tech acquired from the terminated Barricade, which made it possible for Starscream to come to her over such a great distance.

Standing there while staring at the closed door and the patch of light that was spilling out under the frame, he felt an odd sense of desolation, a stray emotion that he easily tucked to the side and forgot about moments after. Informing Windglider of his departure, Thundercracker considered things as he flew up and away before he stopped thinking altogether. The cool night air brushed over him, the moon above sliding out from the clouds, brightening the landscape as the world below became a blur.


	41. Unity

Alexis was still unhappy about being sent away. Yes, the cabin that she was settled at was roomy, modernized and had a beautiful view. Yes, she was stocked with her favorite foods and digital copies of enough movies to last three lifetimes. And with Windglider and Thundercracker keeping her company, or watching over her, she should have perhaps felt settled and at ease.

The truth through was that she would have rather dealt with the danger, than being stuck in a wooden wonderland without Starscream. What was a measly assassination attempt against being separated yet again from her mate, her lover?

Shivering before pulling the fleece throw up around her body, her eyes wandered across the dark room. Dawn would be hitting soon, the morning already showing signs of showing up as some obnoxious bird chirped in a distracting manner outside while a soft glow emerged through the widow blinds.

Lover, yes, Starscream was that and more. Still her knees would quake, and palms sweat when she thought of the glorious sensations that came when that chamber of his slid open, revealing all his glory, warmth and such pleasure. Lying there as he whispered strangely sweet after-sparking remarks, Alexis knew, eyes hovering on his penetrating optics, that she was exactly where she was meant to be.

Alexis was so distracted by her satisfaction from such encounters that she almost forgot about sex. Forgot even as she shared some of Starscream's memories and saw his fantasies that there was more beyond the spiritual bonding but a physical realm that had yet to be explored.

Alexis' thoughts strayed to what had happened the night before. Knees brought up tight to her chest as she hugged herself, her heart thumped and stomach dropped.

"This virginal existence of yours is going to have to end," Starscream spoke to her with his head resting calmly on his folded hands as once more he watched as she ate. His eyes hovered on her mouth and hands, fascinated by her actions.

Choking on the water she had tried to swallow, the glass fell out of her hand. Starscream easily bent down and grabbed it before the cup hit the wooden floor beneath. Placing the glass back on the table, he lifted a perfect brow, mouth curving up on the left side.

"There are things I want to _do_ to you... _with _you," he corrected, letting those first words slip just to see her reaction, "that would be easier if your body was accustomed to mine and all that I am capable of."

Ever since the two returned to the base all Alexis saw, felt, touched and knew was the Cybertronian that he was. But with Starscream now only able to show up in the holo-form, things reverted back to a more human level. Starscream was becoming a very tactile male. Always touching and reaching for her, or even the way he watched her was enough to make Alexis feel as if his hands were on her body. Already he had her on the bed, the sofa and against the refrigerator. While all they did was kiss vigorously, she always managed to somehow divert his attention. Until he saw through her resistance. She could feel him inside her head, trying to find answers. But she hid them deep, buried away from their bond.

"Starscream, we have... been together already," Alexis stated calmly, watching his reaction go from one of jubilant levity to agitated perplexity. "When we were captured on the base... we... we had sex," she managed to get out.

His head tilting, she could feel him brushing against her mind with a gentle penetration that went further than the superficial link their bond had created between them. She suddenly knew then that he didn't even remember. Finding out what memories he was missing was still an ongoing process and depending on what was forgotten, a rather frustration circumstance.

"You did not like it... I hurt you," he spoke with tremors of anguish.

Swallowing hard while getting up and moving around the table, she leaned against Starscream. Whispering to him, Alexis reassured both internally through their bond and externally with words. Pulling her down on to his lap, he held her firmly. The two eventually drifted out onto the back porch where their conversation continued.

He didn't come to her today though, and Alexis' day had dragged on. So much that she still hadn't gone to bed, and the next day was now here. Was she waiting for him? Yes, she was.

The air shimmered, Starscream seemingly stepping out of the crackling light. She went to him without hesitation. That was when she felt a familiar tingle in her veins along with a knowing sensation that had her grinning wide. The real Starscream was nearby.

"You're here!"

"I am. Come outside, Alexis. We have somewhere to go." He leaned in close. "Don't make me wait too long. I am not a patient mech."

* * *

Their journey lasted longer than expected. Not that she really remembered it, for right now she was under the jet and somehow with some careful maneuvering on her husband's part, now sitting upon Starscream, who was pinned provocatively underneath. His hands were on her hips with his gaze on her mouth and an expectation in his thoughts that due to her proximity of his Cybertronian form, practically purred through her veins while rushing along with the increasing flow of her blood.

"We don't have to do anything you aren't willing," Starscream declared, his words sincere even though there was mischief in the curve of his tantalizing mouth that she didn't trust. "I won't do anything unless given permission."

Alexis frowned slightly, her tone teasing. "Lord High Protector of Cyberton and ruler of the Decepticon army is willing for me to subjugate him?"

His eyes stayed firmly placed on her own before straying momentarily to her lips as his ruby orbs darkened and burned. "As long as that mouth of yours is going to be used for more than just talking, then slag yes," he said, his words melodic and strikingly husky.

Shivers went down her spine, her ribcage suddenly tight as her stomach twisted and turned, a painfully pleasurable sensation that caused further enticing stirrings to develop deep within her body. "You brought me all the way out here just to seduce me? Didn't you?" She looked away at the bright green grass that flowed gently with the breeze. And glanced at the lake nearby with the waters that looked cool and crystal clear with stray tulips lining its edge in a variety of vibrant hues. Such a beauty of nature surrounding them, but not enough to hold her gaze for long, not with Starscream gripping tighter to her hips as he demanded her absolute attention back.

"You are as good as mine," he declared, decidedly sure. "And I know you have decided for me to have you and right here," he ended with his mouth curving heavily up.

Alexis flushed. Pushing the embarrassment back and holding onto the excitement that his words stirred, they both knew he spoke the truth.

"I don't want to be scared of you anymore." She frowned. "I _won't _be scared of you anymore." She leaned in and whispered against his ear. "You _can_ have me, Starscream."

Before her boldness abandoned her, Alexis' hands made their way to his shirt, undoing the first button, as she worked her way to the next. Of course, he always had to dress so impeccably, and even now as her fingers slipped along the front of his silk shirt, she felt mildly agitated at the garment. Her breath caught in her throat when she hazarded a glimpse upwards at the very expectant Starscream.

"I think I could watch you undress me all day." He brought his upper body forward, his hands finding and merging over her own. "But there is no need to be so careful." With that he tugged both their hands forward and underneath the opened portion of his shirt, sliding down as buttons went flying. The shirt fell back, exposing his lean upper frame.

Alexis may have tried to forget about their first time together, but there was no forgetting about his body. The beautifully muscled stomach and the strength in his arms, the danger in his hands and the overall heart hammering, gut wrenching perfection of his form that made her mouth go dry.

Obviously pleased with her reaction, Starscream allowed her to stare. Alexis' hands finally moved, the tips of her fingers straying reverently against his offered chest, hovering before drifting further. She was finding it hard to concentrate, her thoughts taken over by turbulent emotions and emerging needs. A low, throaty, very male moan underneath, caused further slips of her already thin rationality. Her fingers pressed more firmly against his flesh.

She wanted this. Craved it so badly that she was confused as to why she waited this long. But in the smallness of her own mind, the terrors had grown readily. His absence for almost a year, only building upon the discomfort of their first time together until the experience became worse than a bad memory. The fears disappeared as if a nightmare of long ago. Stopping momentarily, she stared hard into his piercing eyes, overwhelmed by the depths of passion within. Taking a moment, she gathered enough words to form a coherent sentence. "You won't do anything without my permission?" she asked for confirmation of his earlier promise, her voice strange and curled with simmering expectation. "No matter what I do?"

"Do to me as you will. Just do it to me," he rasped with impatience.

His words pushed her actions forth. Alexis' mouth found and moved against Starscream's, her hands wandering and knowing his body. Boldness grew once more until thoughts completely left her brain, and instinct took over. The sounds of her lover beneath blinded all else as a rhythm of bodies was found.

* * *

Numb. Astounded. A rather prominent grin on her face. Heart still racing, body... body pleased. Starscream's thoughts along with his body, the raw power and emotion when combining both with her own. Explosive.

Her thoughts didn't seem to want to connect, a jumble of words and perceptions souring through and hovering about her head until connecting with the sensations that were still undulating through her flesh.

It was raining. When did it start to rain? Alexis couldn't recall. Hand shifting outwards and up beyond the underside of the jet she was still underneath, droplets landed on her hand, flowing across her skin before becoming lost in the light downpour. Starscream moved closer and caught Alexis' hand, bringing her fingers forward and drawing them into his mouth.

"In the rain next," he stated.

Alexis pulled the blanket closer. Her legs moving up as she slid them back and forth, Alexis tested her ability to move. Heart not yet calmed; it began to race once more. His proximity and the feel of his naked flesh lingering against her own multiplied the effect as she thought of his declaration. Heat swelled under her skin from his blunt words.

"I... that is... so soon? Is that even possible?" she managed.

He smiled, an indulgent expression that even as he drew her in for another mind-boggling kiss, managed to remain on his lips. "I am _not_ human, Alexis, and before I am done with you, I will show you why you should be grateful."

Picking Alexis up with ease, Starscream took her away from the shelter of the jet's undercarriage to the warm rain that sprinkled over them both. Setting her down, she shakily found her balance. Starscream wasted no time as he began to push the now damp blanket away from her body. Suddenly aware of her exposure, Alexis pressed against him, holding onto the fabric as a last defense.

"I... someone... I mean... right here?" she asked.

"Oh, yes. And, little one..." His mouth bent ever so slightly, eyes rolling along her mouth and the exposed flesh that was her throat. "Now that I have indulged you, it is _my_ turn to do to _you_ as I will."

Instinctively, from the heated tone of his voice, she gripped to the blanket even tighter. Unfortunately, that little action only served to provoke Starscream more. Before she was even aware of its total removal, or the bundle of fabric that was now at her feet, Starscream moved in. His mouth dominating hers, the taste of him mixed with the fresh flavor of the slowly falling rain.

* * *

"Haven't you ever seen a satisfied human before?"

Alexis was embarrassed, more than that, mortified. Starscream was not. If anything he was proud and boastful as he stood there, the half-naked human that he was, as he stared up at the just arrived blue Seeker.

All Alexis had on was Starscream's abandoned shirt, and seeing how it was missing a couple of buttons; she had to tie it on. It wasn't long enough though, it left her lower thighs exposed and her legs jutting out. But it was all she managed to get on when the sound of a jet's engine filled the air, all she managed before he landed. Trying to keep away from Thundercracker's gaze, she remained behind Starscream.

Something was relayed between the two Seekers. Starscream turned to her, all he wore was slacks that dipped low upon his body, a distraction that had her eyes wandering and imagination thickening.

"I have to leave. Thundercracker will take you back," Starscream let her know; a barely suppressed smirk was on his lips that relaid that he had sensed the state of her amorous thoughts.

"Oh." Was all she managed, but the disappointment got through.

"I suggest that you find another means of attire. When I shut this form off that shirt will disappear as well." Starscream's eyes traveled down her body before landing on her legs and then traveling back up. His attention hovering on her neck, a wicked grin hid behind a forced frown. "You've got fifteen seconds."

"What?"

"Fourteen... _thirteen_."

Eyes widening, she returned to the underside of the jet and grabbed her clothes before running behind a nearby tree. True enough, the shirt disappeared. Covering herself as best as she could with her loose clothes and free hands she leaned beyond the tree, head peeking out.

"Starscream!" she yelled out with exasperation, feeling his amusement that only made her more pissed. Suddenly self-conscious when she spotted Thundercracker staring, she jerked back behind the tree and pulled on her clothes with haste.

"To think that it arouses me just as much when you quickly put your clothes on, as to when they are slowly taken off."

Gasping, flipping around to face him, Starscream stood confidently behind her where he had watched. Ready to chastise him yet again, she was blocked off. The human Seeker crushed her against the tree. He lifted Alexis up before moving her legs to wrap around his body. Starscream moved slowly against her, a mimic of the intimate things they had done as he growled low.

"Never get enough," he whispered. "Tell me... repeat... and know it's true."

"I can never get enough of you, Starscream," she obediently whispered back.

"And?" He bit down on her neck, breaking skin and causing a pinch of pain before he laved it slowly away with his tongue.

"From now on you can do whatever you want to me. I'm not afraid."

He drew back at Alexis' bold words, ones that were not what he had expected, but obviously better.

"Remember that for the next time I return. Now go." He let her down and pushed her gently away. "Leave me swiftly or I will have you again, Thundercracker close by or not." He grinned. "Don't need to agitate him too much, when every time we are together he becomes uneasy, and at _this_ proximity..."

Alexis blushed at that. When she found out the other Seekers knew every time her and Starscream were intimate, she didn't think she could face Skywarp or Thundercracker again. Still she struggled with the knowledge of _their_ knowledge.

By the time Starscream left, and she was alone inside Thundercracker as they returned to the cabin, Alexis started to wonder what other things they could pick up. What sensations got through and what physical reactions were known. Other questions boggled her mind until exhaustion came through. Outside it began to rain again, fiercer than before as lightning danced across dark clouds. Settling against the uncomfortable seat with the restraints tight against her body, she somehow managed to doze off. But not before acknowledging the contentment that she felt and the love.


	42. Duty

The rumors of Starscream's termination were obviously greatly exaggerated. But the ones concerning him taking a mate were not.

Windglider however, not in a million mega-cycles expected it to be one of the creatures indigenous to the planet. The female was the first human he ever saw up close. He couldn't help but initiate an inspection, sensors tripping and beeping along as he examined the female.

His gaze unexpectedly catching her own; she actually smiled at him, an unexpected kindness that seemed to unbalance his already questionable state of processor regarding the creature. The human nothing like he expected in species or attitude protocols; he couldn't help but be in bewilderment.

Chosen to be on her personal guard, he felt a sense of pride. Whether she was just a human, she _was_ the mate of Starscream. An importance of position that relayed that even if Starscream didn't pay any attention to Windglider, he did consider him enough to put the dart watch over his little human.

Wind just never expected to be paired off with Thundercracker. Daunted more than a little, he watched the great commander with awe. Unable to get over the fact that he was flying side by side with whom he considered the second greatest Seeker in the galaxies' existence. He would catch himself drifting along bursts of elation and adoration that his friend Foresight would have considered a glitch in his mainframe. Foresight. Another thing he never considered was that he would have ever been separated from his best friend and wing-mate as he was sent on the assignment, a state that left him feeling somehow defenseless and just a bit unsure.

However, working alongside Thundercracker, given personal tasks and even spoken directly by the Seeker overshadowed his unfamiliarity of oneness that still could bring an uncertainty that he had moments of forgetting about. He was having too much fun in his new circumstances, his mouthpiece permanently upturned. And it wasn't as if he couldn't catch up with his friend, his excitement spilling forth in their conversations.

* * *

In the few short days that went by, Windglider had seen Starscream in human form, spent more time with Thundercracker than he had since his arrival on Earth, even if it was just a moment or two for orders to be relayed, and he watched everything that occurred with true interest. Yes, the days could go by slowly, but there would be moments that stuck in his mainframe, an exciting occurrence here and there that made it all worth the while.

Seeing Starscream in human form for one. That had been something. Even now, thinking about it puzzled and enticed the young dart. To take on another species form, to actually _want_ to was strange. He heard that it had happened before, but seeing the actuality of it and right below his once small pediforms as the even tinier humanized Starscream gazed up at Windglider, was an oddity that even if the Seeker managed to hold onto that dominating, relentless presence of self, had Wind staring.

Fortunately, Starscream had his attention elsewhere. The human Seeker wandered down the small path from the cabin, straight across Windglider's own position. His form dematerialized as the F-22 nearby roared to life and shot away. It was then that he couldn't help but think that he was put somewhere, yes somewhere where things were going to happen.

Taking the opportunity to observe and examine all that surrounded him, he started to wonder if the human was ever going to leave the cabin to interact with any of the Seekers in plain view. When she did finally leave with Starscream, only to return with Thundercracker some time later, Windglider was curious as to why after the Elite Seeker landed, the human remained inside for some time until the cockpit slid open, a dazed, distracted human emerging.

Walking beyond Windglider, she didn't notice him, an oddity that did not go unobserved. Thundercracker transformed; a gaze of perplexity fixed upon the girl as she disappeared inside the cabin. Catching Wind's hovering optics, Thundercracker shifted back violently on his peds and then backed up, folded over and jumped up into the air before the Cybertronian jet sped away.

* * *

"He _doesn't _hate you."

Windglider was given explicit instructions. And when Skywarp showed up, the human version of the unpredictable Seeker bounding up the cabin's steps as he urged the girl out, the two going for a walk and then settling on a nearby log; the dart did not feel the least bit guilty that his proximity to the two was such that he could pick up their conversation. But he had to maintain a certain distance. To go against anything Starscream had ordered would have been foolhardy.

"He doesn't like me either," Alexis responded. Leaning forward she picked up a stick, throwing it a good distance before it hit a small bush. "And I really wanted us to... I don't know be... sorta friends."

"The last time Thundercracker got close to one of Starscream's females, it did not end well. Since then, he is understandably wary of anything Screamer attaches himself to," Skywarp revealed in a soft, reflective tone.

"You mean Jemshine?"

"Yes, that was her name. You know of her?"

The girl brought her head up then shifted it back down. "A couple of years ago when Starscream first gave me his energon and saved my life, I retained some of his memories. I saw her in a dream... a nightmare really. It was horrible."

Skywarp sighed. "Back then TC was at least, well, to tell you the truth, TC hasn't really changed all that much, but at least back then we did have some good times. Maybe if he never became enamored with that mining femme who obviously only saw Starscream, who then managed to get herself terminated by Screamer, but of course not until after she betrayed Thundercracker, things would have been, I don't know, more tolerable for you."

The human covered her mouth before hand dropped away as she began to laugh. "The way you talk sometimes makes my head spin. If you were human, I would tell you to stay away from caffeine."

"Who needs caffeine when you've got a steady supply of energon. So..." He smiled wide, brows lifting as he scooted his body closer to the female, bumping against her small body with his larger one. "How's the human coupling going?"

Eyes rounding, the female choked out her words, body shifting she moved farther away from Skywarp. "Um, what?"

Skywarp continued eagerly, scooting closer and watching the girl with easily identified enjoyment, "The copulation; I know you guys are doing such things because when you spark it feels different and this human physical bonding is more, well involved physically. So how is it? And how soon until you guys, you know, mix it all together? That will be an _interesting_ sensation, I am sure!"

Silence flew up and around the two. Windglider used his data banks as he quickly did some searches. He was not quite sure what they were talking about, even as the tone of Skywarp's voice and obviously perverted enthusiasm gave it away.

"That..." Alexis stood up and shook her head firmly. "Is none of your business, and I most certainly don't want to talk about it."

Skywarp bounded up as well, undaunted by the human's stern tone. "An obvious human stance that you should know has nothing to do with a bonded Trine."

Alexis' cheeks became inflamed. Mouth pinching as her hands met, her fingers twisted tightly together before they fell apart and disappeared behind her back.

Windglider was certainly not an expert in anything human, but even he could sense the agitation in Starscream's mate, an uneasiness as well that made her small muscles tense under the tight flesh of her skin.

Skywarp however, chose to ignore all this. "Are you afraid that I have access to your thoughts?" He frowned, momentarily hanging his head low before lifting it once more, a devious edge drew along the curve of his mouth. "Unfortunately I do not, and that Alexis makes me curious. And curiosity to me is a virus that can contaminate. So tell me and be honest and know that I will listen objectively and encourage greatly," he finished with a smile before sitting back down on the log where he patted a space nearby. It was the presumption in his actions that only served to frustrate the human more.

"No. Stop now."

"No?" Skywarp seemed genuinely surprised at her response. His playful manner shifted around and took on a mild affront as he frowned.

Alexis spoke again, her tone low, "It's personal. And before you try to say anything further, let me add to those words with an action that should get the point across."

With that Alexis strolled past the stunned Seeker, leaving him alone as Windglider followed at a short distance. Passing Skywarp, he was forced to stop when the Seeker held up a firm hand before him.

"Enjoy the conversation?" the Seeker asked dryly. "Next time you decide to listen in, you should know that not only am I aware of your presence, but Alexis could have been as well. Unlike me though, she shall take offense to your invasion of privacy." He waved his hands forward, indicating the path that the girl had taken off on. "As just proven. So be more careful in your proximity. Watching over her is one thing, overstating your position is another." The smugness climbed away from his mouth, landing in his sharp eyes. "And another thing, anything you _do_ happen to overhear, you will _not_ repeat to anyone." Pleased with his chastisement, Skywarp pushed forward, going after the speedily departing human.

"Alexis! Wait up! I just..."

Windglider frowned, not missing the hypocrisy of Skywarp's admonishment. But he would have no other course but do as he was told. The reproach was forgotten nearly immediately after, the thought of Skywarp talking to him, having everything else fade. All three Seeker's now had a conversation with him. Perhaps not exactly Starscream, as the Supreme Air Commander still didn't even seem to know he was functioning, but in time, Windglider was sure he would catch the Seeker's attention as well. That made the little dart's processor rush forth with energon rushing exhilaration. Imaginary conversations rushing through his mainframe, he imaged what he could say.

* * *

"Do you understand what I just told you?"

Stiffening at the overwhelming attention placed on himself, he shook his suddenly stiff neck-piece. He was left to his own for three whole rotations of the planet. The blue Seeker's mysterious disappearances not entirely uncommon during the short time he was stationed there. Upon his return, Thundercracker went immediately to Windglider, approaching him with diluted impatience.

Wind replied, straining to keep his inflections free of the nervous tingling that was rushing through his energon, "Yes, sir. But I am a little unsure as to why we are leaving. I thought this position was secure," Windglider spoke up before immediately regretting it, wondering if he had overstepped his bounds yet again.

Thundercracker only angled his head, optics dimming. "It is. For now. But precautions are necessary," the Seeker answered. He stared at the dart with calculated optics before he lost interest. His gaze wandered beyond Windglider's frame and landed on the human's cabin.

"How soon are we leaving?" Windglider queried, taking the opportunity of the Seeker's distraction as he once again was overwhelmed by his size, both frame and wingspan that far outdid his own. Greatness. He was in the presence of greatness. And he didn't have to join the Decepticon campaign, didn't have to vow his loyalty to Megatron, or help in the decimation of a planet or species, or even take on the Autobots.

First meeting Foresight and then the Elite Seekers. His life, as displaced as it once was, was becoming better than ever. He was disappointed that he had never really seen an Autobot, or even the great Optimus Prime, as all fliers had been restricted to the Seeker's provided base. But soon he would be reunited with his friend once more, as new adventures awaited. And now that Starscream was lord and master of all Decepticons, surely more interesting encounters were bound to happen. Waiting for Thundercracker's response, he felt such expectation that he was finding it hard to stand still.

"Immediately," Thundercracker stated. "Prepare for departure. We are leaving Earth."


	43. Recollection

To think that not long ago, yes, she lived, but so entirely away from the concept of being copacetic, that just to get out of bed and fill her days with one task or another as Alexis kept occupied and her mind distracted, was all that she was capable of doing. Stuck in a mental rut as wide awake later in the evenings, Alexis stared restlessly at the high ceiling above while fighting off feelings and emotions, and the questions and the complications that could only come when she let her thoughts run amok. Her heart desperately missed Starscream, who by then was no longer dead, but also no longer hers. For he had forgotten everything, changed much, and even as her heart raced at the thought of him, was someone she could not return to even if sometimes she hopelessly believed otherwise.

Perhaps it was during one of those long hours during twilight and dawn that she had wished and prayed and wanted more than anything to be like Thundercracker. So unattached. So unemotional. So away from everything and everyone. But Alexis reasoned he had to be more than what she saw. Knew that the obvious affection Skywarp had for his wingmate and the regard Starscream showed for him as well could have not been engendered by his show of remoteness.

And on her birthday, a day she had forgotten about, it was brought up first by the one individual Alexis would have never thought capable of even wanting to know of such an occasion. Walking down the hall from her and Starscream's shared quarters, it had only been three days since she got Starscream back, since Megatron was killed and since life became more than just living, but living through someone else.

She didn't know what she had on her mind at the time. But something obviously distracting because when he came upon her so quietly and spoke, a pitch of fear erupted loose from her chest. Thundercracker was not one for cornering her. He was not one for starting a conversation first, or purposely looking for her. Lifting her head up, Alexis waited for him to speak while she was baffled by his unexpected action.

He loomed downwards as his hand folded out and lowered. She was perplexed by what was there, a lone sunflower obviously freshly picked, its yellow buds strikingly bright against the backdrop of the dim hall.

"Starscream ordered me to get you this." He pushed his hand forward more and waited for her to take it. Unsure of what to do, she picked up the offered flower. "You are only nine thousand, one hundred and twenty-five _days_ old. I do not ascertain why a gift is required every time you add another year to your life, but being how short you human's life spans really are..." Thundercracker let the words hang before stiffening abruptly. "I cannot attend your celebration this evening, please inform Starscream."

Noting her surprise at his announcement, as she had no idea a party was even planned for her and had just realized what day it was, he backed up and left. His actions had been stiff, his words formal, but as she stared at the sunflower in her hand, a flower that had been her favorite since childhood, she was mildly conflicted. Starscream ordered Thundercracker to do it; the blue Seeker made that abundantly clear. But still, he did not have to give it to her personally. As she made her way back to her quarters with thoughts drifting to where she would put the yellow bud, she reasoned that she thought too much.

* * *

Sometimes, a strange irregular moment here and there, Alexis was certain that she knew exactly what one of Starscream's wingmates were feeling.

Uneasy. Thundercracker felt uneasy.

She was sure of it, felt it and knew it. But as he watched her come out of the cabin, already packed and ready to leave her home planet, Alexis dismissed it. Perhaps it was her own uneasiness at their sudden departure that she was projecting onto him.

"You know?" he asked with a lilt of bewilderment.

Alexis shook her head. Already she said good-bye to her family and friends. A somber get together had taken place before she left the Autobot base. Her mother had given her clothes, food, so many other essentials that in a way it had shocked her system into realizing the separation that was inevitable. She didn't know when she was going to be back. But she tried to be at peace. Those she was leaving behind were going to be safe with the Autobots, probably even more with the Decepticon's departure. And she could talk to them whenever she wanted, and soon, she hoped and wanted to believe, have them for a visit. Already, she missed them all. The thought of them once again made water build in her eyes. She blocked the tears from falling as she hoped the Seeker hadn't noticed. She wiped her eyes quickly with her sleeve.

Thundercracker spoke softly as if gauging her sudden melancholy introspect, "Do you have it?"

Knowing what he was talking about, she took a long necklace chain out from under her shirt. She detached the piece of jewelry. Hanging from it was the key like device that Starscream had given her all those years ago when he departed. She slipped it off the chain, still curious to its usage. Thundercracker stared at it attentively, obviously interested in the small component. Lifting off her heals, she reached it up to him. Alexis was fascinated when the key expanded, folding out and gained size. By the time the Seeker took it between his digits, it was larger than her hand.

"Are you going to tell me what that is for?"

He frowned. "It seems I will be showing you."

* * *

A space bridge. Alexis was astounded and somewhat disturbed that the thing had been built without the Autobot's knowledge. But the implications of all that were soon forgotten as she marveled at the Cybertronian technology. Windglider transformed after they cleared Earth's atmosphere. The dart hovered momentarily. Light wavered before the three. A massive, half crescent shaped construct appeared in the once empty space, hovering before the moon and just above the planet. Placing her tiny key into a slot, the space bridge lit up and came to life.

Before she could blink, Thundercracker passed through the activated structure. A passageway of threaded lights and moving energies danced around the jet as spectrums of illumination glittered. They exited just as Alexis found herself mesmerized. Pitch blackness was all around as distant, unfamiliar stars twinkled in the darkness.

* * *

"This is to be Starscream's quarters." Thundercracker angled his head down. "Which means they are _your_ quarters as well."

"Oh... OK." She nodded her head.

Her lack of vocabulary and inability to focus was due to several factors. One: while Thundercracker gave her a very linear tour of the Cybertronian residence, she really only knew one thing at the end of it. It was big. Beyond being large and spacious, it was very dark with the lighting so dim that she couldn't see much of anything but vague outlines. Her steps were guided by the glow of Thundercracker's optics. Two: she was still on a high of being out in space, yet not only that, now _living_ in space. The vision of the floating habitat was still fresh in her mind. Her first thought upon seeing her temporary new home was that it looked vaguely like a dumbbell floating in space. For in the middle of it were three rod-shaped constructs connected to hefty ends. It wasn't until they got closer to dock that she was somewhat disappointed in its lackluster appearance, but that did not dispel the excitement from what it represented. Three: she was hungry. The trip that Alexis had thought done after they exited the space bridge, only resumed for several hours after while leaving her famished, a distraction enough on its own.

"Do you think you can turn the lights up? I still can't see much," Alexis requested as her head peered inside the dark room.

Thundercracker made a verbal Cybertronian command. The darkness was pushed back by a small margin.

She frowned because she expected more. "Can't you maximize it?"

"These _are_ the maximum settings. I forget, you humans do not have the best visual capacity. I will get Windglider to see to it for you. Until then, I suggest you make do."

He left after dismissing her with a brief nod of his head. The large doors slid shut. Darkness engulfed her yet again with shadows hovering over her form. She briefly looked over her new quarters. Huge. They were huge, and as they were relatively empty except for a table and a terminal, Alexis could see that a private compartment was in the back. Making her way there, she found another large desolate room. The only thing in it was a small human-sized bed and the largest view portal she had ever seen.

Sitting on the bed, she pulled out a granola bar. Munching on it mechanically, her eyes focused on the large windows. Alexis stared out into the dark wonder that was space.

* * *

Embarrassingly, Alexis had already gotten lost several times. Leaving her quarters she would wonder if she would make it to where she was going. Or for that matter, make it back. She knew she would get used to all the space and the strangeness and the empty halls and how everything was so oversized. She just needed time as she had when living on the old base, yet suddenly she had plenty of that.

Mostly, she lost herself in the gift Starscream had given to Alexis for her birthday. A portable botanical garden where she was busily planting things. It was also in a way the route Starscream took for telling her they were leaving Earth. When she first saw the converted cargo bay all she noticed was the dirt and supplies along with the small plants and trees.

Starscream did not notice her lack of excitement. "I will get you drones to work on it and create a subroutine, so you will only have to occasionally monitor it for productiveness."

Alexis' brows lifted, having the feeling she was missing something important. "Why do I need a garden Starscream? The Autobots already have a well varied conservatory."

Starscream didn't look at her when he spoke next, his words hushed but firm. "Because we aren't going to be staying here much longer, and I want you to have a backup source for the sustenance your body requires."

"Here? The Autobot base..." she gulped, suddenly nervous. "Or Earth?"

Nodding his head, she saw his determination. The rest of that day she would be distracted, Alexis amused as Starscream made her birthday unique and Skywarp made it fun. And when they were finally alone, Starscream's digits hovering nearby as she felt his increase in energy levels, she knew with the hum of intent that beat in his spark and mind, that her only distraction for the rest of that night was going to be her husband. And as light expanded and filled their quarters before trailing over her skin and building in intensity, her body and mind would have had it no other way.

* * *

Already Alexis planted tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, working on jalapenos and trying to figure out which ones were the avocado plants. Using the provided bar-code scanner with an inventory list, she figured that out easily enough. Finding it was actually a three-foot tree. Alexis saw she had much to learn about her own planet's fruits and vegetables, about how they were grown and in what conditions. The avocado seedling was going to have to be grown in a much different manner than the vegetables she just planted.

Her stomach grumbled as she thought of making homemade salsa and avocado dip, perhaps even some tomato bisque and a salad. Mildly criticizing herself, she knew she could have started on it well over a month ago when Starscream first gifted it to her. However, between the assassination attempts and preparing for the eventuality of leaving the planet along with being sent away, she never even considered it.

But between the technology that she was provided with, and the soil that had been infused with a chemical accelerant, she would not have to wait too long until she had fresh fruits and vegetables. She still had so much work to do, not to mention she needed to find someone to help her plant the various trees.

She could have used the drones, but she wasn't ready to tinker with them. And by the size of the big boxes they were stored in, she was unsure how they were really suited for such work. The rest of the monitors and equipment wasn't even usable until everything was planted.

Wiping her brow with her glove, Alexis stared upwards. If she didn't know better she would have thought the sun was up above. She had natural light provided with a regulated water filtration system and separated seasonal barriers. But what held her attention was the light from above and the intensity of it as the heated orb tried to simulate early summer. Putting her spade down, she sat in the dirt with her bare feet extending as her toes curled into the warmed, dry earth.

Closing her eyes before inhaling deep, it all felt so natural and real. She would grow a patch of grass, yes, one that she could lay down on. Suddenly very relaxed, she opened up the folded blanket she had been sitting on and spread it out. Stretching her body, Alexis promised herself she would only rest for a couple of minutes.

* * *

Only she, Alexis was sure, would have been able to do what she just did. Fall asleep only to wake up far away from Earth while obtaining a terrible sunburn.

Her arms felt like heat was underneath them, her legs as well, her skin was quickly turning red and her flesh stung. Just to get up and leave the botanical bay was a chore on its own. Sore and hurting she paused outside the door while waiting for her flesh to heal and the pain to subside.

Neither happened.

Sighing, she began the journey to her quarters as she made a note that a couple of aloe plants would do her good. Other medicinal herbs would be advisable as well. She would need to go over her inventory to see what was provided.

"Alexis!"

Vibrations tickled up her spine as she turned around slowly. Skywarp bounded forward. He greeted her as he bent down and tapped her arm quickly. Alexis was sure he did not expect her to scream as she did, that loud bracing noise that even as he backed up in a flurry with his wings rising in confusion, did not seem to want to end.

"Uh, Alexis, why are you so red?" And even as he asked, he was already moving his large digit forward while making a motion to touch her burned flesh.

She shook her head while scrambling back. "Don't touch me," she begged. "I got a sunburn and it's not healing on its own."

"How did you manage that in the middle of space?"

She started to explain but didn't get very far. The hallway started to rotate as she began to feel dizzy and increasingly hot. Fortunately, Skywarp did not grab onto her, just led her gently back with his digit before letting her lean against the hallway wall.

"Slag, Alexis, I just arrive, and you have already injured yourself. How are we supposed to have any fun if you are damaged?"

"Starscream isn't here," she stated. She would have felt if he was and from the conversation she had with him late yesterday, it still might be a while. But one could still hope. Alexis vaguely wondered when it would be that she could think of Starscream, and pleasurable chills wouldn't go racing through her body.

"He's got some things he's got to wrap up alone. He'll be here soon," Warp assured.

She nodded her head, well aware. Conscious that the dizziness had passed, she made her way to the medical bay. Alexis suddenly realized as Skywarp walked beside her that she didn't know where the thing was.

"I've got you," Warp said. Lowering his hand, he waited for her to climb aboard. "I'll get you taken care of in no time."

Managing a smile, Alexis knew despite the circumstances that she was quite happy to see the Seeker. He always did brighten her days. Never would she have believed she would have ever met a Decepticon that was as good-natured as he. However, his bright personality did have a downside: his prying and the ability to say what she would have never wanted spoken. Also his tendency for shenanigans and capriciousness that could lead to misunderstandings and rising irritation. Which he always made her forget about until the next one because overall he was so likeable that he was so easily forgivable.

Sitting down on his palm, Alexis flinched as she glanced at her burned legs. She vowed that next time she worked in the summer area of the garden, not only was she _not_ wearing shorts, but she was wearing a long-sleeve shirt and sunscreen and a hat and... frag... she just knew she was going to have a heck of a time trying to sleep that night. She should have been more careful. She knew she was prone to getting burned and had to be cautious when in the sun, or so it would seem now, even the natural light that her garden bay provided. After having to deal with such a thing, she could have at least procured a nice tan, but with her sensitive skin, she knew that was not about to occur. All that awaited her was peeling skin, itchiness and of course, the lingering sting of over cooked flesh.

Alexis knew she had no one to blame but herself though. She should have known Starscream would have made it as realistic as possible. Keeping her eyes focused ahead, Alexis took in all the twists and turns Skywarp deftly followed, trying to memorize the halls and passageways. Frustrated, as they all seemed to look identical, she forced herself to continue watching anyway, thankful when they finally arrived at the medical quarters. Of course, no medic was inside.

Skywarp put her down. Backing away, his holo-form came on-line. A prominent grin adorned his affable face, a mischievous twinkle erupting in the depths of his dark-brown eyes. Alexis gulped hard as he led her inside.


	44. Diverting

Skywarp went to Thundercracker's quarters, bursting in without announcing himself. But he had a purpose and came to a decision, and he had never been one for recognizing personal boundary protocols or the lack thereof.

"I'm going to the Dri'ock Space station, and I am taking Alexis with me," Skywarp announced to Thundercracker. "She desperately needs to get off of your habitation, and if I have to spend one more day watching her plant something, I may off-line due to boredom."

"She wants to go? Or you just want to take her somewhere?"

Skywarp smiled wide. Leave it to TC to pick something like that up, not that he was going to confirm it. "I've always wanted to visit that station, and now that I have a holo-form, I should blend in rather nicely."

Thundercracker moved to the edge of his berth, hands planting along the side. Critical optics grazed along Skywarp while a dull grimace emerged on his mouthpiece. "You are far too comfortable in human form. And you spend too much time with her. You should exercise more caution," his wingmate warned.

Skywarp flinched. "Did... did Starscream say something to you?" Warp asked, really not wanted to get on Starscream's bad side, but still intent on doing what he wanted. Already he had calculated seven reasons why it was worth whatever risk Thundercracker was trying to imply.

"No, but..."

Skywarp lifted up a hand and cut TC off. He didn't need to hear it. "Then why even bring it up? She is a part of us now, and if I can't spend time with her, what can I do?" He lifted an optic ridge while a wickedness curled along the lines of his mouth. "And I _so _enjoy her company."

TC shook his head with agitation and bewilderment. "Don't get too attached. They don't live very long. And don't do anything foolish or get into any slag. I _won't_ bail you out. They discover you are a Decepticon, and they will kill Alexis and dismantle you. And let's not even go into what Starscream would do to you if anything happened."

At least Thundercracker didn't try to talk him out of it. But both knew that such an action would have proven futile. Skywarp scowled just the same. Thundercracker really wanted to suck the fun out of his mainframe. Leaving his wingmate's quarters, he headed towards Alexis' compartment. All he had to do now was convince her to go with him. But she would; he had no doubt of that. He could talk most anyone into anything; it was all just a matter of approach.

* * *

It wasn't the first time he had taken Alexis for a ride, but it was the first time Skywarp took her for a ride in space. She was obviously excited, for her energy peaked before curling around the inside of his cockpit as she marveled at the stretching void of blackness. As they approached the behemoth of a space port, her eyes became large with fascination. Alexis' fingers moved against his instrumentation as she shifted and then stretched as she tried to get a better view.

"And I thought our new base was large," Alexis said, a small smile building.

The Dri'ock Space station was busy with activity. Ships were arriving and departing. Security patrols flew around and back again. Skywarp camouflaged himself, taking on the reading of a Trilvarian transport shuttle. A holo-form wrapped around his paneling giving off the illusion of the same. Thundercracker was right, there was danger here if he was caught. Decepticons had done quite a bit of damage in the neighboring systems, including the destruction of a couple of civilizations, some of the remnants now refugees without a planet. Many had been forced to take up residence on the nearby space port, which with its amenities wasn't exactly a horrific turn of events. But even he knew nothing could replace the feeling of being home. Displaced from his own planet, Warp should have felt more empathic of the refugees' circumstances. But it was only an inconvenience, an added caution to be taken so not be recognized. Not that they were there to visit the dingy lower levels where those misplaced were forced to reside.

"Ready?"

Secure inside a landing bay, Alexis got out and down before twisting around slightly until she caught sight of Skywarp. She was smiling at him but a little uncertain. He tugged on her arm and placed it securely under his as he had seen in those classic movies she seemed to adore. Alexis didn't object. Ecstatic at her acceptance and thrilled with where they were, he led them from the bay and out into the main corridor. From there they made their way to the promenade.

* * *

Never, not ever, did Skywarp consider getting to know a female. To talk to her, to enjoy her company, to know what could make her smile. Learning things about her: worst fears, find out what traits had been passed down from her procreators and what was all her own. Like the smell of her skin and the melodic tone of her voice when she whispered. How she scrunched her nose when she wasn't sure of something, or narrowed her eyes and bit down on her mouth when she wasn't pleased or was just plain confused.

How she looked at him and saw more than he was able. How she didn't hold a grudge against him, even when Skywarp did something purposely foolhardy. How she trusted him enough that she allowed him near her when she was unhappy, or just talked to him.

Yet now that Starscream was back in her life, she didn't as much as she used to. And he had to get used to her bio-signature all over again, for now it was intermixed with his wingmate's. The appealing energy of hers taking on traits of their own Trine while changing and growing into something entirely different, yet still as intoxicating as the human it identified.

Human. Yes, he had been amused when Starscream took a human as a mate. But the more time he spent with her, the more he wondered and tried to figure out exactly what the sensible little creature saw in his wingmate. And the knowledge that the virtuous human chose his trinemate despite all that Starscream had done, didn't make any sense to him whatsoever. She spoke of forgiveness and how the past was the past, but sometimes he noticed the terror in her eyes. A sign that she knew exactly what he had done, perhaps even saw, now that she was bonded to Starscream, sparked him, was intimate with him.

"Are you sure this is safe to drink?" Alexis asked of him.

Another thing he knew about Alexis was that she had a penchant for fruit flavored concoctions. And if the liquid was in some way frozen into a slushy beverage, she liked it even more.

"It is entirely organic, comes from nova trees on the planet Renktil. The nova fruits are known for their natural sweetness."

He did research before their arrival. Finding out what was safe for the Trine's human to consume. What species were common on the base, and some other facts that were essential to their visit. They had already walked along a good while. Alexis was not interested in shopping, but more in the plethora of species all around and amusingly enough, the strange variety of consumables.

Cautiously, Alexis took a sip and then her lids lifted high. She leaned over the narrow bar they were sitting at, bringing the frosty glass closer. Alexis brought it back up to her mouth, drinking the sweet substance, tongue breaking out here and there to wipe off the corners of her mouth.

Skywarp watched, mouth turning upwards. Thrilled, he watched the rather sensual display. No wonder Starscream got actual pleasure from watching her partake in sustenance.

Twisting her stool around, she grinned. Unaware of his lingering gaze upon her mouth. Jerking his attention elsewhere and away from his thoughts that wanted to roam free, he waited for her to speak.

"Another?" she asked.

He lifted up his hand, signaling the bartender with alacrity. Being with her, as close and personal as it was, always stirred something deep within his matrix, an unresolved tension that had never been confronted. Idly, he drifted in the odd comfort of familiarity and female companionship.

* * *

"Didn't I tell you _not _to look a Vildan directly in the eyes?"

Skywarp thought he did a good job explaining all the different aliens: the confrontational seeking Triaq with the yellow skin and the four bulging eyes on its tentacle like tubules that floated around its thin, rod shape head. The Mindor that had horns on its heads and the bulk of a thick-skinned body that did not go with its submissive personality. And as they passed others, he explained a little of their cultures while making sure to avoid those better left unspoken of.

The large male Vildan was already looking back at them with his narrow eyes planted on the female by Skywarp's side. As all Vildans, his skin was a bright shade of scarlet red, obviously what had caught Alexis' attention. Although she had seemed fixated on the male's large pointed ears and bright yellow eyes, and probably the fact that he was far more humanoid than many of the others they had encountered.

"Females only look upon the males as an invitation to mate," Skywarp explained in a hush.

That tidbit had Alexis laughing. She spoke when she noticed his confusion, "There must be a lot of Vildan females bumping into things when the men are around."

"Actually, the females are kept separate from the males. You may consider lowering your gaze. I believe the male has taken you up on the invitation."

The smile dropped off her face. Turning her back around, she went back to perusing the shop they were in front of. Alexis was suddenly very interested in a brush like device that Skywarp identified as a Trivolic nursing instrument. If Alexis knew which orifice it was meant for, she would have never even touched it. Just watching her hold it was enough to make him cringe as he pushed back the uninvited imagery of its usage.

Alexis' sudden fixation on the device and then her wandering off to a shop with organic vegetation, didn't stop the Vildan from approaching. Skywarp scanned the area, picking up that more of his kind were hidden away. A protection escort of some sort that was trying hard to look like they weren't watching. Stiffening, he readied himself.

"You are hew-man," the Vildan spoke to Alexis, his voice cultured and smooth. "I am Senthic of the Marliacosh Order." He bowed low.

Skywarp took in the symbols upon the male's shoulders, and did a quick search for identification purposes. Alexis glanced at Warp while her shoulders lifted in the form of a question. She spoke but kept her head low, "You speak English?"

"I have a multilingual translator. I understand you; it translates me. It is correct?"

She shook her head. "Yes, it is correct."

A pointed grin appeared with that, bright yellow eyes dilating as they swirled with clouds of orange. "I accept your invitation. I find your unusual features desirable and your body healthy. You will produce worthy heirs to my line."

Alexis' eyes snapped up as her gaze collided with Senthic's. "I already have a mate. I apologize for my lack of knowledge. But this was obviously a misunderstanding." Alexis blushed as Senthic continued to stare. His gaze lingered upon the white flesh of her hands before lifting back up. By the rumbling in the back of his throat, he obviously found her appealing as he openly signaled his interest.

Hearing and seeing enough, Skywarp stepped between them while pushing Alexis back. He was frustrated by her response to the creature and pissed off at the boldness the Vildan had, _especially_ with him standing right there. But Alexis only believed in one mate. Something that aggravated Warp to the extreme, but also assured that the alien would get nowhere. She was just curious, nothing more.

"This human has already been claimed. I suggest you move along," Warp growled as his chest puffed up and eyes narrowed.

Undaunted, the Vildan leaned forward. He sniffed the air as his nostrils flared. "She does not hold your scent. And she shows no signs of wanting to mate with you."

Now further riled, he glanced back at Alexis before striking out with his bitter words. "Look here, Vildan," Skywarp spat. "She _doesn't_ want you, doesn't _need_ you, and if you don't step aside, I am going to rip your puny body in half."

Senthic stepped forward. "Puny?" He trilled with laughter, eyes diverting to Skywarp's smaller human form. "Do you challenge me hew-man?"

"No challenge in taking you down, but if you..."

Their society was made up of warrior classes; he should have remembered that. A fist flew toward him, blood exploding from his nose from the punch that he should have expected.

"Skywarp, are you okay?"

The Vildan cocked his head, gaze landing back on Alexis as he waited for her to come along with him. His show of dominance should have had her placating to his wishes had she been a female of his species. But her rushing to Skywarp only proved to frustrate Senthic. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of Alexis' elbow and began to drag her away.

That was when the scuffle began. When Alexis fought to get away, when Skywarp attacked the Vildan, when his guards decided to join in and when the female got caught in the middle. Somewhere in between everything stilled and stopped when Senthic exposed Alexis' covered wrist. The lightly marred Decepticon symbol was identified.

"You are a Decepticon."

But it wasn't Alexis he was staring at but Skywarp. Fortunately, the crowd that surrounded them since their encounter became heated, was too busy talking among themselves to catch that whispered revelation. That did not stop Skywarp from pulling Alexis with him and urging her to run.

They were discovered.

* * *

"You okay?" Alexis asked as she wiped and cleaned his bloodied nose with her sleeve. He flinched, unaccustomed to the pain as a human. That didn't stop him from taking in a deep breath of her scent, from appreciating the sudden closeness. "So I take it Decepticons are not welcome here?" she sighed. Her mouth twisted with discontent.

"Oh, didn't I mention that?"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "No, you did not."

He shrugged his shoulders. "No bid deal, our excursion is just cut off a little. Pity. I got us seats to the Pivel opera. You would have really enjoyed it. The lights are hypnotic; the sounds are euphoric... or so I was told."

"Are the Pivels the one with the twelve arms and four mouths?"

"You researched them, but couldn't remember the specifics about Vildans?"

She ignored his chastisement. "Sorta, and I _was_ listening to you. I just don't remember you mentioning them." Alexis frowned, nose crinkling. "But obviously, I haven't been doing that good of a job. First time around new aliens, and not only did I accidentally proposition one, but managed to get you hurt."

"Eh, no big deal." Skywarp assured. Already he had turned off the pain receptors, and he could have corrected and cleaned himself up in a nano-click, but with the way she hovered about, he wasn't about to remind her of that. "Live and learn as you humans say. And it _was_ fun."

"Seriously?" Alexis looked at him with piercing incredulity.

"Slag, yes. Watching you squirm. Watching you fight. It was fun."

Alexis punched him hard on the shoulder. "You need _help__,_ Warp. Do you _ever _take things seriously?" she groused.

"It's when I do, that others worry."

Alexis laughed at that. Getting up and moving along the empty corridor, she went to the edge of the wall before cautiously peering beyond it. Turning, she frowned.

"I don't think anyone is searching for us. Maybe Senthic didn't report us."

Of course, she happened to remember the alien's name. Perturbed, Skywarp tugged his hands over his chest. "He didn't," he said with certainty. Since their arrival, he had filtered the space port's security feeds. Nothing about the revelation about who they were had been relaid.

"He didn't seem pleased that you were a Decepticon."

Skywarp got up and moved to the side of Alexis. He leaned against the wall. "There is no reason for him to be. Twenty mega-cycles ago, we pilfered all their livex ore. They used it for a primary energy source and were forced to adapt after we left their planet depleted. Frankly, I am surprised they ever recovered."

"That's terrible."

"Don't pity them too much. They off-lined more than a couple of Decepticons during that particular campaign. It was the first planet we encountered that actually gained Megatron's respect with their methods of warfare."

Alexis became reflective. Her brows cringing upwards, he knew she wasn't particularly happy about it. He decided it was time to change the subject. He poked her in the arm.

"So, Alexis, was it worth looking at that Vildan?" Skywarp jested.

"He had incredible eyes, and his ears... Spock would have been jealous... if he wasn't a Vulcan. But, no, that wasn't worth it. Perhaps you should start telling me about the other species stationed here."

"Later, right now we need to leave. Can't risk getting caught. And for now, I recommend you keep your eyes downcast," he mildly joked.

"Hah, hah."

She may have looked agitated, but he knew she was experiencing as much excitement as he. Starscream certainly couldn't give Alexis all the entertainment that he did. In that, Skywarp could be sure.


	45. Revealed

Each time she and Starscream were together; it would leave Alexis highly aware of her lover. A pathway opened wide between them with thoughts shared and experiences replayed, unsaid words revealed and a powerful connection deepening and growing. Until later, the memories that had been so clear, that she could have been there on Cybertron, on planets and before Megatron, all faded while leaving her with a faint impression of dissociation, until that too, drifted away.

The rush, the high, the awareness and understanding that couldn't be reached until the two touched and felt and knew one another was like an addiction. The connection though would disappear, leaving the thoughts that got through to one another random. Even as their ability to pick up each other's emotions was heightened to a degree of sensitivity that Alexis could have the habit of mistaking Starscream's emotional state for her own.

Being apart though, was another matter. She felt lonely to a state of despair. The first time she felt that, Alexis was sure it was because she finally got her husband back, and so quickly after they were separated. The second time he left her, the emotional darkness returned, worse than before to the point that she physically hurt. She forced herself into anxiety overdrive as she wondered where he was, and if he was safe, her thoughts circling around her head before crashing and falling back down to her cranium, forcing her into bed as they raged inside unending, tears welling in her eyes only to stain the pillow pulled tight against her face.

Only to awaken the next day, body stiff, sunlight streaming through and pushing open her eyes, to find that somewhere between the turmoil and the desolation, she came to terms with things. Internally shuffling her thoughts into order, the chaos quelled momentarily as the ache and the pain did not torment her as before.

A new sadness took its place with the realization that had been made. She couldn't put her happiness in Starscream, couldn't give him so much that she didn't know where he ended and she began. He had left her before. He was a warrior, a soldier; he would leave her again. Whether in death, whether in war, she had to be prepared. She just couldn't love him as before. Resolved in her new mindset, only then could she watch him leave her, feel him so close in her head and yet so far away, only then could she function as she was meant to.

* * *

It would be eight days after Skywarp took her to the Dri'ock Space station, that Starscream finally returned. The once empty haven was suddenly filled with Cybetronians to the point of capacity, the large hallways now dangerous and crowded. She felt very much like a human without her planet then, without her friends and family, and even as she would always have her God, she missed the life she had left behind. However, Alexis did not allow any regrets. She chose this, and she would live with it. She would work through it and adapt.

But regrets, like a bug bite, could itch without warning, forcing you to scratch and scratch some more, to the point that you couldn't do anything else. And suddenly Alexis had regrets she couldn't ignore.

Alexis was now in the shower, the water high above pouring down upon her as if rain. Curling into herself, she hugged her legs tight to her chest. Letting the water drench and pummel softly down, steam expanded and grew, turning the large Cybertronian cleaning rack into its own stormy atmosphere. Alexis may have cried, but she couldn't really tell. She may have been trembling, but she was holding onto herself to hard to find out.

Never before had they been together in such an intense way. Alexis didn't know where things had been leading until she instigated the act, connecting with Starscream physically in a way that his Cybertronian body had prepared for when they first bonded. All doors opened then as bodies, spark and souls merged. There was no holding anything back, no shuffling away the secrets or hiding behind the pleasure. Everything was open and exposed as if a light was shining down and revealing the deepest, darkest corners of the mind, showing all and illuminating everything.

Between the pleasure and the onslaught of mental stimuli, Alexis fell away inside of Starscream. She didn't know who she was, but it didn't matter. Didn't know where it was all heading, but she couldn't stop. Didn't know her name, know where she came from, didn't know who she was or what she was about. Nothing mattered though, nothing but reaching, meeting and finding out all. Everything poured inside of Alexis while overloading and triggering synapses into a frenzy. Until she became aware of herself on the physical level, pleasure building and rising only to break apart and then rebuild. Over and over until her body became more real and the motions she was performing climbed up and away before bringing her crashing back down inside of herself, exhausted and so very aware.

And after she regained herself and came down from the physical, emotional, pleasing rush, that was when the regret came. With her limbs as noodles and her spine as if of jelly, she forced her appendages into submission as she left her lover. Starscream had been deep in recharge, but that didn't stop him from reaching out and grabbing hold, keeping Alexis near for some time until finally his servos loosened, and she could get away.

That was when she entered the cleaning racks, another overly large space that she was easily lost in. But she loved it. Starscream had adjusted it to be capable of pouring out water, and the way it did reminded her of a waterfall. She preferred it to the sonic emanations he used. And would find herself lingering inside the unit more and more, peace more easily attainable inside.

Alexis was beyond crying now and working on bitter self-reproach. She was so full of herself. She knew that now beyond all else. For out of everything that had poured into her from Starscream, one thing remained: Starscream's plans for the future, the future without her.

They were detailed and precise, even carefully aligned with time measurements and methodical calculations of all that he desired to accomplish when she was gone... when she was _dead_.

He was going to continue where Megatron left off. Campaigns waged as he dominated more than the Decepticon Lord ever had as he conquered and took all that had long been coming to him. The Autobots didn't stand a chance, not with the numbers he would have accumulated by then. But Prime and his followers were barely a consideration, just another minor thing to take care of before Starscream showed all that had dared to oppose him, what he was capable of.

She was just a distraction. A momentarily relapse before the war was raged once more. He had eons upon eons of becoming who he was. How could she, who had only known him a few, very short years in comparison, really have expected to affect a change upon him?

But he loved her. She knew it, felt it, even dreamed of it. And even as he calculated everything around when she was gone, he didn't think about the fact that she actually would be. Didn't think about life without her, or what that would truly mean. Didn't think of the agony it would bring or the terror it would instill. Starscream just made his plans and focused on what came after.

The water was too hot, but she couldn't bring herself to open her mouth for the vocal command of adjustment. Her skin stung and her flesh objected, but all she could do was lament for her naiveté. An odd sensation came then, one that tingled in her feet and landed in her toes. She felt the need to run and get away, to keep running and never stop. Picking herself up from the warm tiles, she finally lowered the temperature of the flowing waters. Leaning against the wall, she inhaled sharply and then exhaled slowly. Alexis prayed for an answer. She needed guidance and wished she had someone to talk to.

"You have me." Starscream entered the cleaning racks. The door slid noiselessly behind. "Talk to _me_." His large body hovered down. The water was blocked as he pressed a dominating digit against her back.

She shivered, still daunted by his touch. Still daunted by him, human, Cybertronian, jet... whatever form he took on. Alexis had felt such fear when she first beheld him and his kind, and now here she was sharing a life with him. Sharing her body as well, and her heart and mind and so many other things that who she once was and all that she had experienced, seemed as if a dim memory of someone else.

He was cycling through her thoughts while listening to her internal debate. And she could hear him as well. Starscream was trying to lighten her bleak discoveries. The longer he lingered inside her head, the more she forgot about all that she discovered.

"Starscream..." she objected. And he pulled his mind back and away while settling near the edge of her conscious thoughts as he waited, desperate to get back inside.

"You take my thoughts out of context," Starscream spoke. His voice was warm and low; his large digit curled around her naked belly. She moaned, forgetful once more as desire alighted with ease. Starscream turned the water off. The liquid continued to splash off his towering body, sliding down between the small space that was between his finger and her sensitized flesh. "I can't lose you. I won't lose you. But what I may do when that happens... it haunts me."

"I _am_ going to die, Starscream. That's inevitable."

"You are _not_ just a distraction. You mean more to me than you seem capable of realizing, little one. Don't you know... I chose you... I need you... I love you."

The last words hit her hard. It was the first time he ever said them in such a direct manner. He believed love was a weakness, a human failing. Or at least he had. And now hearing it for the first time out loud, and with the tone he had used, a soulful, bereft, utterance, she couldn't help but remember why she loved him as well. Why she needed him and why perhaps he needed her as well.

And as he continued to whisper assurances, his digit traveled and caressed. Worries and fears were forced back as prevalent need worked its way between them, Starscream showing her yet another way that they could unite, a tenderness shown that lingered as he loved her, taking his time. He showed Alexis in his actions that even words and thoughts were sometimes never enough.

* * *

"Alexis, wake up."

Alexis stretched. At the moment, her body was curled upon his wing and just above his shoulder plate. The position was rather a dangerous place to be. If he moved she could fall inside the metal junction below and be crushed. But there were so many other things he could do, no matter where she was positioned when she shared his, no, _their_ berth, that could end up in her premature death.

Death, death and more death. It still hovered in the air, reminding and taunting her. Showing her that yes, she was just a vapor, and Starscream was in a way eternal. Living and living some more, taking the age of almost a thousand years, the time frame some of the first humans had lived before God limited it, and making even that large number dim in comparison. Alexis remembered thinking that she would have never wanted to live that long. Wondered what sort of ailments they suffered the older they got. And how soon those ailments showed. Or was it all relevant and measured out evenly in regards to their lifespan? Alexis didn't know. Yes, she had been promised everlasting life, but not in the living, breathing state that she was. And still, even when she thought of living forever, no matter what form, scared her. Sometimes she felt it would just be preferable to be puffed out completely. But then what would be the point of any of it, of God, of living and suffering and continuing on.

"Enough," Starscream whispered. His tone simmered with subtle anger. "No more of those thoughts." The Seeker gingerly sat up. Alexis slid down. Starscream caught her halfway. She smiled up at him, pleased to find him still there. Since he had become ruler of the Decepticons, it wasn't often that he stayed until she woke. But when he did, she appreciated and adored him all the more. Looking around their room, she realized by the data pads littered around his work table and the holographic screen to his terminal that was spitting out calculations, that at some point he had left her and worked.

"You are so enticing when you sleep, it is hard to work," Starscream voiced to her unspoken thoughts. "But I still have much to prepare for. And the sooner I get this done, the sooner we can leave Thundercracker's cramped domain and start our real life on Cybertron."

He dropped her near his cockpit and leaned back. His digit wandered down her leg and then up to her shoulder. She felt the emanations from his touch, his energy drifting and traveling. Alexis sighed.

Yes, she knew now that his battle ravaged planet was where he disappeared to sometimes as he was prepared for their arrival. He had plans of repairing it. For taking one section at a time as he revitalized the once deadened orb.

She periodically saw visions of the world in its golden age. It was a time of splendor, of gleaming buildings and unity and peace. A metallic beauty all around that was both breathtaking and alien. It was not how Starscream recalled it though when he remembered. But he alongside Megatron had been there as they destroyed and shattered their once thriving world. Fire and torn metal, bent buildings and decimated landscapes. Bodies merging with the shattered landscape, reminders of the battles fought and wars lost.

"It will be thriving once more; I will see to it. And as soon as I get your oxygen ratios worked out, so will you."

"You said I could breathe on your planet."

"Yes, but it will take some time for your body to adapt. And the diminished gravity will take some time to get accustomed to as well." His wandering digit landed on her belly, trapping her against his metal flesh before lifting away and settling along her side. She turned against it, arms and legs wrapping around his finger.

She couldn't help it, his excitement in regards to his planet, no matter how outwardly stunted, yet inwardly high, was making her feel excited as well. But other considerations took prominence.

"About last night..." Alexis frowned. Images and sounds of remembrance drifted through that made her heart break into a steady canter. She never wanted to tire of the feelings he could produce in her, nor the way her body reacted instinctively. Memories drifted to the intimate encounter in the cleaning racks and then even further back when pleasure was found in his spark chamber in a manner that Alexis would have never thought she was capable of daring. More and more he was bringing out a side to her that proved she still had much to learn about herself. "I..."

"You mean when you, what is it you humans say? Jumped me? Yes, that seems correct. And I knew you taking the initiative would prove highly stimulating, just not that so..."

Slag. His finger, now alive, lingered down and untangled her legs as he caressed her ankles, promises of more if she allowed. But she wasn't going to be distracted again. She needed to speak. Swatting him away, she sat upright. Scooting from his touch and all that he was willing to offer. "Is that usual when... when..."

"Cybertronians interface?" Starscream smirked before patting her on the head. "Certainly not. You now know more about me than even I. I would have never allowed that if I could have prevented it. There are things even my mate should not be made aware of."

"Like what you are going to do when I am gone?"

"More what danger you would be in if others became aware of what you know. Even if you're incapable of keeping most of the... provided data, there are ways that one could stimulate the necessary portions of your brain to retrieve the stored information."

"Starscream... about the Autobots, about the future, about what you have planned..." her words drifted off, the sadness they provoked was too much.

"And you? How about why you are afraid to love me as before. How you believe wanting me as you do is some sort of sin to be punished. I do not tolerate our separations well either, and am riddled with deep-set desolation and suffering. And now I also seem to recall some rather heated kissing occurring in the back of the scout, along with Barricade's paws upon your body as he tried to violate you. If that defect hadn't already been taken care of, there would be no stopping me now. As for the Bee, I can't tell you what inclinations I have of tearing out his spark and feeling it dissipate between my digits. If he did not help save your life due to his unruly actions, such would be his fate. And if he didn't terminate his bond with you..."

Alexis covered her face as he continued to bitterly ramble between subjects, trying to stop his words as he recalled some things she had longed to forget, both from the past and the not so distant days gone by. Starscream's words stopped. Dropping her hands away, she found his attention fixed.

His vocals lowered, a frown emerging on his mouth. "I really didn't see this... all open connection occurring between us when we mated as we just did. But stop doubting me and I will in turn forgive you for coming to undue conclusions."

She shook her head. "But, Starscream, I don't doubt you. I just fear what you may do. You... the prospect frightens me."

"And yet you remain with me," he said with his tone firm and his words cold with acrimony.

"Because I love you, and I... want... I have to believe in you, or none of this, none of what we have created between us would have any worth, or be able to endure if I didn't trust you. And I do trust you, Starscream. But the thought of what may happen when I am gone... it tears my heart apart."

His frown grew into a grimace. Starscream lowered down upon the berth, his wings stretching back and rising high. "Then stay with me as long as you are able, and even longer after that. No, don't leave me... ever, and then these fears you have will become meaningless."

Once more, he distracted her. Starscream's emotions were ardent, his thoughts lingering around and caging her morose ponderings. Alexis closed her eyes. Freed momentarily, she drifted away and beyond, settling in a warm secluded place for two where the future was irrelevant and the past was forgotten.


	46. Significant

Their arrival upon Cybertron was not the glorious affair that Starscream had always envisioned. Not to say it wasn't momentous, for arriving on his homeworld with his Trine in tow and his mate inside his cockpit was thoroughly satisfying.

Initially, Alexis was forced to remain in their quarters; it was the first place he made sure was suitable for her breathing requirements and then the throne room. After he adapted that as well, he had some workers focused on expanding into other areas.

More workers arriving every day, Starscream saw his plans moving forward. The renovation of the planet was going to be a lengthy process. Breaking Cybertron into sections, he focused on Megatron's long abandoned citadels. And while the base's renewal was well underhand even before their arrival, that alone was going to take much time.

Feeling and experiencing Alexis' fascination for his homeworld, even as she only got a glimpse before they landed and visual relays of some various sectors from deployed scouts, he became more impassioned about revitalizing Cybertron and giving it life anew as he took Decepticons into a new age of power and long overdue recognition.

Starscream's preliminary preparations compete and now located where he was meant to call home, the Seeker no longer had any reasons to leave Alexis or be separated from her or his wingmates. He suddenly observed closely what he had only felt second-hand through his shared bonds. And came to an understanding that as futile as it was, was also ludicrous.

He should have never let Alexis meet his trinemates.

It was one thing hearing her stray thoughts and getting a glimpse into Alexis' interactions, that just couldn't help but be revealed when they joined, but it was another as a day passed and then a week, as he was suddenly in the middle of it all, watching and observing and seeing how the three got along.

The things that irked Starscream was Alexis' fascination with Skywarp and her curiosity about Thundercracker. He realized and saw that TC's indifference and placid manner toward Alexis only masked an acceptance that Thundercracker himself was still unaware of. And Skywarp, more and more Starscream was having the irresistible urge to bash his wingmate and then bash him again. The audacity and fervent manner in which he approached and spent time with his female was even harder to ignore now that he was right there.

The only thing keeping him from sending Alexis away was his need for her. He would not tolerate his mate being away from him. Her place was by his side, and nothing would change that. Starscream would not allow it to. Nor allow anyone to separate them or give heed to the dark, bitter emotions that her friendliness toward his wingmates stirred. If he didn't know clearly where he stood with Alexis and how she only held him in her heart, he would have surely acted rashly. But he knew, just because he was forced to tolerate it, didn't mean he couldn't take steps and make things more abundantly clear than ever.

* * *

Megatron did enjoy vast spaces and long corridors. The corridor that led up to the throne room took the concept of overdoing it to a whole new level. The ostentatious walkway, now destroyed and tattered many long gone eons ago, was slowly being repaired. Starscream had witnesses more than a few mechs that had been lost to that great void of a pit underneath it. Usually when arriving back from some failure or another as Megatron threw, pushed or just shot them over. It was no wonder that more than a few had feared walking the overly long stretch. And now with it in pieces and no longer even accessible, Starscream made sure to have the infamous path cleared and repaired. Waiting and longing for the days the first walked along it, bowing low before him in supplication when they reached the end.

Now all he could do was bark out his dissatisfaction at the slow progress that was being made. The citadel's sky access had already been cleared out and was working perfectly, but much good it did when landing was out of the question. A wrong touchdown, a misplaced step and injury or termination could be expected.

"Why not just tear it all down and start over? It's obviously inefficient if it didn't last this long." Skywarp came up behind him. His optics roamed over several of the pathway's chasms with the broken gaps wide.

Starscream shook his head in disagreement. "The pillars underneath are sound, but it seems separating them from the walkway is proving more difficult than foreseen. And starting over completely would waste too much valuable time."

"Yawn," Skywarp ejected. "Boring," he added. "Just leave them to do their work, or if you truly think they are purposely working slow, terminate them and find a more efficient group." He shrugged his shoulder panels. A curious smile drifted up on his mouthpiece. "Of course if you go for the termination, Alexis would probably despise you, so I guess random killings are now out."

The workers surrounding the Seekers grew still. More than a few optics were now severed upon them as Skywarp and Starscream conversed with no regard that they were overheard.

Starscream glared at Skywarp. "Do not concern yourself with Alexis. I will do as I must, and she will accept that."

"So are you going to off-line these workers?" Skywarp asked, his voice loud and booming through the stretch of a corridor. It ricocheted off the sharp metal walls and rounded back and echoed all around.

"No. But if they don't go back to what they were doing right now, and consider more efficient time frames for completing this task, then I will consider otherwise." He watched with deep satisfaction as everyone hastily continued their tasks with a burst of renewed activity. He turned toward Skywarp, suddenly not minding his interruption so much. "Exactly what are you doing here?"

Skywarp grinned. "Dinner is ready. Aren't you coming?"

Dinner, which in actuality meant Alexis' dinner. Though she had asked and wanted when she ate for the others to join her as well, something about them spending time together and talking over the day. He couldn't deny her even as he would have rather spent the time with Alexis alone. However, Alexis stated that they were now her family and families did such gatherings. He still wasn't sure what to make of that.

* * *

They were now in the great hall. A long table was situated in the middle of it, one of the pieces he had specially made after their arrival. It was at the moment the only piece of furniture there, but he would be sure once the room was done, it would be quite a spectacle and a testament to his glory. He and Alexis sat at one end, and he made sure that Warp and TC sat at the far other end. Skywarp ignored the seating arrangement while Thundercracker did not. But TC also made no effort about partaking in the human ritual and even brought his work with him. That was put to an end when Alexis insisted that wasn't allowed. TC argued, but with a look from Starscream, he begrudgingly complied.

As usual, Skywarp was monopolizing the conversation. Usually Alexis would laugh and laugh some more as he told yet another story. She never seemed to tire of them, especially when he spoke of some of the adventures he and his trinemates had, and of their younger days. However, tonight she was quiet and inwardly reflective. Warp, finally realizing he wasn't getting much a response, halted. He glanced up at Starscream and then back down at Alexis, then back up at him.

Alexis, situated in front and below Starscream, had a small table resting on the larger one that was suited for her size and needs. While she ate, the three typically unwound on high-grades. The room was dim and somewhat chilly. He hadn't the opportunity to upgrade the room's environment for human visual capacity or temperature requirements, but Alexis didn't seem to mind. The jacket she made sure to wear, provided needed insulation. She made her own meals, most from the supplies he made sure she had, and now just recently a couple of items from the garden. Soon, he would change that though. It was not fitting for someone of her stature to do such menial work, either in the garden or preparing meals, no matter how much she enjoyed it.

Starscream could see she had lost some body mass since their departure from the Autobot base and Earth, either due to her lighter eating habits or their rather involved personal activities. Sensing his concern, she turned and offered him a small smile while plucking a couple more strawberries into her mouth as she chewed with forced fervor.

One thing he knew was that Alexis associated different items with past events. Which in turn could stir emotions as if she was experiencing it all again. As she took another bite of her strawberry, the air shifted as her body emitted unmistakable signals through their bond. He didn't need to hear Alexis' thoughts to know what she was playing back. Knowing he too rather enjoyed their flurry of time in the middle of the strawberry bushes. They were destroyed now, only the few survived that she had plucked before his arrival into her earthy sanctuary. Yes, even he could recall the breathy sounds she made as she finally gave in to him, and the smells of the blossoming fruits, the feel of the dirt underneath and the extra warmth of her skin.

Now in tune with her and obviously broadcasting the same state, TC and Warp picked up his desire through their link. Both his wingmates observed the two more closely. Starscream could have initiated self-control if Alexis didn't get up while trying to push his just refilled energon mug closer so he could reach it. She could have moved it, if the mug was not a newly acquired one that was made of the same dense Iirion ore that the table was, but she was unable to. Straining herself, she continued to try. Alexis finally dropped flat on her back on the table, breathing heavy.

Shoving the high-grade out of the way and off the table, his hand found her body before the clanking of the mug was heard on the ground below, or the sound of liquid spilling. She gasped, hips instinctively lifting off the ground as she pushed up. As touch always broadened their connection, he felt her embarrassment and awareness of TC and Warp watching. Beyond that Starscream felt suppressed emotions that were floating in the background, their nature clouded and unknown. He ignored it, focusing on her want for him. The more it grew, the farther away those ambiguous emotions drifted.

"Leave us," he ordered of his trinemates. Motioning with his head, he ordered the guards and servants away as well. Alone with his mate, he drew his hand back slowly. He pointed at her clothes. "Off. Now. Or I will _cut_ them off." A blade stretched out of his hand and extended forward. It was just for show, but he didn't expect the reaction she had from it, her energy output peaking.

Her full mouth lifted at the corner, a devious spark ignited in her emerald orbs. She spoke softly, leaning provocatively up on her elbows. Alexis watched him closely as if trying to compute his intentions, even as Starscream made no effort to hide them. "Then cut them off... if you dare."

He smiled. No longer was Alexis the docile, unsure human who let him dominate and lead her through their intimacy.

Starscream dared.

* * *

"So, when are you going to show me around?"

"You saw about as much as there is to Cybertron when we landed."

"I still would like to see it, Starscream. It's your planet, your world; I want to see where you live."

"And now where _you_ live," he asserted.

"Yes," she slowly agreed as she pondered that. "Now where I live."

As it was customary for his human, she was changing out of her clothes while putting something more suitable on before she went to sleep. She amused him greatly when she did. Alexis was still unaccustomed to doing so when he was nearby. Ever after all her skin Starscream had seen, Alexis asserted coyness as she took her things and changed in her bathroom.

Coming back out, he saw she was wearing something different. Alexis wore a two piece silky set with a top held on by fine threads on top of her shoulders, along with bottom shorts that showed ample leg and a glimpse of her thighs. Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she climbed her way up to the berth, then deftly positioned herself upon his extended leg where she laid back as she stretched lazily. The fabric was slick against his paneling and thin and light against her own flesh. Alexis' pushed her hands out from along her sides. She traced small lines and circled back around his Cybertronian tattoos, fingers dipping in and out of grooves and following seams.

"You're so cool to the touch," she whispered as her eyes shut. "Are you going to stay with me tonight?"

Their schedules, as misaligned as seemed possible, meant they usually did not regenerate at the same time. Humans also needed far more recharges than Cybertronians. Alexis was still not accustomed to sharing a berth with Starscream and seemed to prefer sleeping alone on some occasions. Something he had been too busy to change, even as it disturbed him. However, now that they were together again, he would be sure to enforce his rights as her mate. But here and now, he saw her question was an offer.

"I am not in need for a recharge for at least seventeen hours."

Alexis sighed heavily and rolled onto her belly. She sat up and folded her legs underneath her small body. "I love how you feel when you are recharging. You grow warm and..." Her cheeks colored, delicate neck revealed as she bent her head back in thought. "Vibrate a little, it's quite soothing, and..." She shrugged her shoulders. One of the straps fell downwards; the fabric slinking forward along with it. "I would really love to feel you in my dreams."

Starscream had never been around a femme that managed to keep him in a constant state of arousal. Her flesh, her scent, even the way she sat there with her voice a whisper of alluring breath.

Starscream leaned forward. "You can _feel_ me right now."

Her mouth twisted at that comment. "So, what you are saying is that staying with me tonight is too much, but sparking me isn't out of the question?" she asked. Alexis' demeanor shifted as she became agitated.

Not for the first time, Starscream wondered if all human females were so quick in their mood shifts. He had seen straight into her. Felt her emotions with all its twists and turns. And still he had a time predicating anything about her. Just because he knew how she felt, did not mean he always knew why, a fact that once would have annoyed him, but with her only served to intrigue.

"Actually, it has been a while since I had you as a human male." He conjured up images of the last time he was. Remembering the rain, the delicious sensations and the change in perspective as Alexis' body dominated his. If Thundercracker never interrupted, he was sure they could have gone on for longer than they did.

"Starscream!"

"You know that I..."

"I know." She shook her head and frowned. "Just go." Alexis pushed at his leg. "I can sense that you are preoccupied with all the work you have to do."

"I would rather be preoccupied with you. Work can wait. I will stay."

He had barely a nano-click to enjoy the smile that produced when his door chimed. Knowing who it was, he allowed admittance. Thundercracker walked slowly in. Seeing Alexis and Starscream on the berth, he stiffened, but strode forward just the same.

"I have finished with the new schedule. If we proceed as you have requested and manage to acquire the number of workers that are required..."

Alexis got up. She slid down the side of Starscream's leg and then quickly down the ramp along the berth. Going to a small hook on the wall, she grabbed a t-shirt and slipped it on over her thin sleepwear. The shirt covered most of her skin while her legs stuck out looking long and inviting.

The human and her modesty.

His focus on Alexis, it took Starscream a couple of moments to realize that TC was no longer speaking. Optics changing course, he found his fellow Seeker looking perplexed and uncommonly distracted.

"I am right here, TC, not down there," Starscream groused, easily riled. "Just give me your report. I will look it over, and we can discuss the changes in..." He looked at Alexis. "...about eight hours."

Alexis smiled wide and bright at that. Thundercracker nodded his head down before handing the tablet to Starscream. He had something else to add. "The new medic is here," TC finally said while waiting for instructions.

"Show him to his quarters. Tomorrow have someone give him a tour around the compound."

"As you say," TC complied, exiting.

As soon as the door slid shut, Starscream ordered the lights off. Picking up his human, he made his way back to the berth. Yes, he would most certainly stay with her tonight. Giving her a moment to settle, he sensed she was exhausted. Still, he needed to touch her. His digit wandered up and down her frame, slowly caressing her body. Alexis' thoughts heavy yet clouded, it took longer than expected for her to drift to sleep. When she did she twisted and shifted, gasping and mouthing words and hollowed out names. Drawing her up closer above his spark chamber, her body stilled and mind settled as the nightmares ended abruptly.

Starscream was concerned. He knew it wasn't the first time she had experienced such a thing. He went through the emotions she had projected. Fear, despair, sorrow and loss, a sense of terror and the total lack of control. A tormented sadness permeated through it all before being swept away and beyond.

Starscream's concern grew as an inauspicious tremor teetered down into his processor. This time he couldn't ignore it. The feelings she had emanated were near palatable. Tugging her a little further up, his hand wrapped possessively around her. Alexis breathed softly, her tiny body molding around his touch. He watched her sleep for the rest of the night, his optics not leaving her once. By the time she woke the next morning, his concerns had been purged. It was only her subconscious, only her new surroundings. And with the way she looked up at him with such adoration as soon as she woke, the rest of his unfounded apprehension was forgotten and dispelled.


	47. Indications

Skywarp was being punished, that most he was certain of. Since when did an arrival of a medic constitute him, Elite Seeker and Air Commander Supreme, to show the doctor around? Busy or not, he was not about to use his valuable time to show a subordinate around the compound. Delegating the task to the always eager Windglider, he considered that deed done.

Until the dart contacted him over the com, informing him that the medic had wandered off after asking for a tablet with some info or another. Exasperated, it was now his duty to find the Decepticon and make sure Starscream never found out about his shuffling off and shirking of his duties.

He began his search in the most obvious places, including the medical bay and Starscream's planning room, which was more difficult than it should have been, since the Supreme Seeker was inside. He then checked the storage rooms, finding the memory banks showing that no one had entered all morning.

Quickly using a vast amount of energy as he warped here and there, checking other areas and rooms, he came to the conclusion that, as the humans said, he was screwed. Starscream, for reasons Warp already knew, was rather prickly with him as it was, and now, adding this mess to the equation, meant that Starscream had an excuse to admonish and punish him further.

Heading to Alexis' garden bay, as he already had a knack for doing, he searched for the girl. Immediately, he heard voices, one soft and feminine, one familiar, haughty, and already capable of grating on Skywarp's delicate sensory components. Staying out of sight momentarily, he listened in.

"Interesting. Why produce sustenance in such an archaic manner, when it could be produced, with efficiency and without the need of so much... _dirt_?" the medic spoke, addressing Alexis.

Alexis cringed, a pair of sheers in her hand, that she snapped shut. "I really don't think you should be in here. How did you get past the security detail? This place is not..."

"Are you the only slave here? You are obviously producing the food for your kind, so why, are you here alone, are you being punished?"

"Slave?" Alexis spoke calmly, a faraway lilt to the edge of her voice. "I am not a slave."

"What other purposes do humans have?" The medic leaned forward, then down, his hand swiping back and forth above Alexis' head. Scanners activating and probing.

Skywarp expected Alexis to do something, but she only stood there, her head downcast, her thoughts obviously wandering.

The medic smiled wide. "Yes, as I thought. Your energy readings are rather pronounced. And now, they just multiplied by three. Tell me human, do you want to mate with me? I mean, I can understand why you would want to. I know I look good, but I never considered that humans would find me appealing as well. Such is the curse of the universally attractive I suppose."

Alexis, angled her head, looking up as if seeing the medic for the first time. She was oddly distracted, not taking the medic's comments with ease, but ignoring them completely. What was wrong with her? Why was she letting the doctor get away with his egotistical musings?

"But your signals are undeniable... wait... how did you shut them off like that? You are certainly an interesting creature. And your flesh, so slight in pigmentation, and delicate I bet." Already he was leaning down, digit extending toward her face.

Alexis came to life with that. She raised her sheers as a warning, ignoring it, the medic continued. She swiped the sheers forward, slashing a thick gouge across the doctor's digit.

"Slag!"

In case that didn't get across, Skywarp crashed between the two, shoving the medic back with an overdose of a push. "Knock Out, as far as I know, your tour is _over_. I suggest you report to Starscream and attend to your medical quarters." He shoved the grounder again, making sure to scratch some of his paint job, knowing the prideful 'con would feel that more than a punch between his optics.

"Hey!" Knock Out belted out, pushing back and away, he was already checking his lines. "What do you think you are doing? Have you burned a fuse?"

Warp lifted his hand up, pointing to the bay's sliding door. "Leave. And _don't _enter this place again. This is a private area, that you certainly are not cleared to enter."

Knock Out pointed down. "I want the human. She could prove valuable in researching..."

"Research?" Skywarp cut in with a dark chuckle. "Don't make me blow a valve. Human anatomy is none of your concern. And this human, you will find, is not one you want to interest yourself with. Now leave."

The 'con looked back down at the human. Crossing her arms across her chest, Alexis looked away. Begrudgingly, Knock out left.

* * *

The tour he was looking forward to, was the one Starscream was taking Alexis on, as he showed her around Cybertron. Thundercracker came along with Warp, providing air support. Both though, never considered they would actually need it. But halfway across the south quadrant, ground missiles came on their radars. Swiftly, they blasted between the three Seekers; all rolled and initiated their boosters and deployed flairs, racing through the explosion of smoke and debris.

"Warp!" Starscream said.

"Got it!"

Dematerializing he reappeared in the coordinates that were fed to him. Stunned 'cons looked up at the hovering Seeker, but not for long. He blasted away the missile launcher, the resounding explosion tearing apart the nearby 'cons. The ones that were left over; he took out one by one. He watched as they scattered and tried to get away, but his range was miles, and they certainly weren't moving fast enough. Warp sensed some were trying to sneak up behind him, but that ploy had long been worn-out eons ago, and the lack of ingenuity proved to bore. Thundercracker took those fools out.

The two landed. Skywarp shrugged his shoulder panels, when he realized TC's intention. "Go ahead," he allowed.

Thundercracker found one of the only survivors, his blaster folded away; a long double edge sword took its place. He thrust it down into the insurgent's chassis, twisting hard.

"Talk," Thundercracker demanded.

"I am already as good as gone. Why would I speak now?"

TC sighed, leaning down he whispered something. Skywarp strained to pick it up, but he had heard the words before, and knew what the reaction would be. Sure enough, the 'con started to prattle away, almost as quickly as the energon that was flowing out of his body.

"You say there are twenty three left? Where are they deployed?" Thundercracker got further down. "And _who_ is your master?"

"My master?" the 'con laughed, the energon leaking from his mouthpiece making the sound a gurgled, disgusting display of the pathetic. "That you can figure out for yourself slaggard!" And before either of the two saw it coming, the 'con leaned forward, taking the sword he finished the deadly rotation of the blade. Three nano-clicks later the Decepticon was done for.

"Well, didn't see that coming." Warp joked of the 'con's self-termination. "Guess even you can't persuade everyone."

Thundercracker stood, wiping his blade off, he gave Warp a pointed stare; his words came out slowly, as if TC was sure he had lost all ability to compute. "You do know that the twenty three he was talking about, are now proceeding to surround us?"

"Yes."

"So?" TC spoke the word with mild exasperation.

"So we either take then out on the ground, or from the air. The only difference is one will be quicker, and one will be more enjoyable. You decide this time."

Starscream appeared, landing. Carefully, he placed Alexis on the ground, then addressed her, "Alexis, you will go to that construct I indicated that is a click to the south. Stay there until this is done."

"No."

"No?"

Warp's eyes wandered across Alexis. He only got a glance before, but now he took his time. He knew that Starscream created a body suit for her to wear so that she could traverse outside the planet. But the black sleek thing, that clung to the curves of her chest, and her body tighter, was so unlike anything he ever expected her to willingly wear, that with her slim, curvy figure exposed, he couldn't help but stare in extreme appreciation.

Alexis adjusted the imploder on her wrist, then took a small plastic band off her other wrist, wrapping it around her long hair as she twisted the follicles behind her neck.

"I can help."

"No," Starscream said, the word firm and sharp.

"You forget. I have trained with Bee and Prowl, been led by Optimus Prime. I am not a liability, I am an extra..." She paled, suddenly noticing the littered bodies, and trails of energon.

Before Starscream could argue further, the first round of explosions sounded of behind them.

* * *

"Do you hear that?"

More than half of the insurgents were taken care of. After taking Alexis to an abandoned complex, he returned, but not before giving Alexis explicit instructions. "Don't move from here. If you pick up anything within three clicks, take your transport and hide elsewhere." He pointed down to the motorcycle Starscream had given him, to give her.

She only nodded her head, looking at the bike before going to it, where she sat upon it firmly. Beginning a system check, she prepared for the eventuality.

"Yes, I hear it," Thundercracker spoke up. "If my audio receptors aren't on the fritz, I would say that is Autobot weapon fire."

"What are Autobots doing here?" Skywarp queried. The sounds of weapon's fire dimmed out as more of the enemy was taken out.

"Seems they are helping."

* * *

The look on Starscream's face when the Autobot team arrived, was worth a million credits. Bumblebee lowered his battle mask, tightly nodding his head toward the three Seekers. He did not look relieved to see any of them, and the expression on his face when he noticed Starscream was almost as abysmal as the one 'Screamer held.

Bumblebee directed his words at the three, trying not to look at Starscream, but his gaze kept falling back on his wingmate. "Looks like we were just on time. We followed the 'cons from Earth, you know, the ones, you didn't bother finding before you left?" The scout finished with dark sarcasm, his optics now definitely targeted upon the Supreme Seeker; his door panels lifted, his hands curling into fists before the Autobot released the tension on his frame.

"They didn't want to be found," Starscream said sternly. "They were working for..."

The scout cut in, "Soundwave? Yeah, for someone obsessed with cutting his loose ends, you sure didn't bother with them. I suppose the rumors of your... _wariness_ for Megatron's communications officer, are true."

"Exactly what are you trying to say?" Starscream asked, a heavy step taken forward, a sneer building on his mouth.

"Which part confuses you?"

They continued, posturing. And would have continued if they didn't get interrupted by an incoming message.

Alexis was under attack.

* * *

They found the human easily enough. She was racing on the motorcycle, followed by three unaccounted for 'cons in vehicular mode. Starscream gave instructions to both Alexis and his wingmates, not bothering with the Autobots, who were following as well.

The three separated. Starscream flew over the 'cons and Alexis; Warp and TC divided on each side. They knew their planet well, hopefully better than the Decepticons that were chasing the human. Everything depended on that they did.

"Now Alexis," Skywarp heard 'Screamer shout through the com link. "Gun it."

The distance between the motorcycle and the chasing cars became large, the gap widening as the human raced forward, boosters kicking in. From his skyward viewpoint, Warp saw her turn on the bridge. As many of the roads on Cybertron, it twisted and merged in and out of other pathways, lifting above the planet. The 'cons split up, one taking an upper ramp, the other two pinned on her tailpipe. They were so focused on capturing the human, that by the time she went over the broken bridge and into the vast nothingness beyond, it was far too late to stop. Tires screeching and rubber burning, they still tried. That was when Starscream caught Alexis and then her motorcycle, when Skywarp and Thundercracker converging onto the spot rose before the wayward 'cons, blasters extinguishing their sparks.

The human safe, and the rebel Decepticons taken care of, Skywarp couldn't help but laugh. "Well that came together better than I thought it would."

The other Seekers joined in the laughter, Alexis did not.

* * *

"Have you no regard for the safety of Alexis? You used her as bait, you... you have turned her into a thrill-seeker with no thought for her own life... what if you didn't reach her in time, what if..."

"I don't live on what ifs Autobot, and if you don't want me to rip out your vocal processor, I suggest you refrain from saying anything else," Starscream screeched.

"You don't deserve her!"

"How dare you!"

Bee caught Alexis looking at him, hurriedly he corrected his last statement. "You don't deserve anyone that cares for you as she does. Don't deserve..."

Bumblebee didn't finish. And with good reason, Starscream's fist went crashing into his mouthpiece. Bee recovered quickly enough, waving back his Autobot unit as he lifted his servos up. "Bring it 'con!"

"Stop this!" Alexis rushed forward, standing between the two as she pushed her arms out on each side. If the two hadn't been mindful of her, she could have been squashed under one of their pediforms. "What do you think you are doing Starscream?" She turned to him. "Bee just helped you and now you..."

"_I _am your mate. He is _nothing_." Starscream sneered at the scout. "Don't defend the worthless."

"He just doesn't know how things are between us. But he is my friend. And..."

At the sound of that title, 'Screamer visibly trembled with anger. "Enough!" With a flash of movement, Starscream picked up Alexis, pushing through Bee and beyond the Autobot troops. Taking to the air he transformed.

Skywarp waited long enough, then left TC behind to contend with the Autobots, as he followed the departed Seeker.

* * *

They were in the middle of an argument by the time he caught up with them. Landing a good enough distance away, he observed.

"You love him," Starscream said with disgust.

Alexis shook her head, frowning hard. "There are different kinds of love Starscream, and how I feel about Bee is not that kind of love."

"You have dreamed about becoming his, dreamed about giving him your body."

"That was years ago and you know it. Why bring this up now? Why are you so angry?" Alexis lifted her neck up even further, starting at Starscream who was hovering high above. "What is really going on here?"

With a flash, Starscream lowered onto his knee-plates, a folded over fist crashing beside Alexis. She fell, the Seeker caught her, lowering her down onto the ground. His digit drew a line up her body, possessively tracing her legs and along her belly, hovering below her chin.

"He shouldn't be here. Shouldn't have come," Starscream murmured, a talon extended out of his digit, the sharp instrument tugging underneath the neckline of her body suit. "This is _my_ planet now."

"Stop," Alexis breathed. She tried to get away, but his intent was filled with dogged determination. "Stop I said!" Alexis yelled out, the tone of her voice getting through to Starscream as his digit was pulled back through the suit with a snap, his body lifted heavily off the ground as he took several confused steps back. Alexis had obviously never refused him before, but it was more than that that had the Supreme Seeker looking so perplexed. There was a sudden heaviness in his shoulder panels. He was ill at ease, and bothered; a subtle distress detected as well, all the emotions directed outwards toward the human with a carefully contained discomposure.

Alexis turned her head away, hands folding over before her chest as she kept the folds of the ripped fabric up. She didn't look at Starscream, a slight of further rejection.

"Skywarp, take me home," Alexis spoke, her voice a mere whisper, that warbled and collapsed.

Slag. It wasn't until then that Skywarp realized he had been so intent on watching them, that he had unknowingly advanced further in their direction.

"Do as she says," Starscream demanded. "I have some Autobots to attend to." Thrusters igniting 'Screamer lifted off, shifted into jet form and loudly racing off.

Transforming himself, Skywarp waited for Alexis to join him.


	48. Precipice

"What's with Starscream?" Thundercracker inquired of Skywarp. He saw his wingmate wandering through the compound intent on something, searching for something definitely. He knew Starscream was in a particularly sour mood, unable to send the Autobots on his way, as Bumblebee had information from Prime, they were located to temporary quarters on their base. They couldn't just open fire on them like the easier days, now they had to be careful with which alliances they kept.

"He can't find Alexis," Skywarp shrugged his shoulder panels, distracted with the screen before him, hunching forward he read the scrolling text. "I don't think he can sense her either. You should have seen the look on his face when I brought _that_ up, could have melted my structure down to my protoform."

"Do you know where she is?"

Skywarp looked up, optics brightening. "Since when do you care?"

"If you haven't noticed Starscream is in one of _those _moods. I would like to prevent it from becoming more volatile, especially with the Autobots here. I am not in the mood to clean one of 'Screamers messes up."

"I don't know where she is, as soon as we got back she wandered off... Tried talking to her, but she doesn't seem intent on conversation lately, quite a damper actually." 'Warp frowned, hand swiping forward he turned the projected screen off. Leaning back on his berth he stretched lazily. "Do you think my quarters are small? They seem small."

"They are the same size as mine, they are adequate."

"Think I will expand them, tear down the left wall and let in some space, perhaps an overhead view port." He sat back up, head angling. "She's probably in her botanical bay. Maybe if I bring her something to eat she will want to play. Food always makes her happy, especially the ones laced with monosaccharides."

TC sighed loudly, getting up he made his way to the door. Warp suddenly shot past him.

"No! I'll find her, you... you..." He rolled his hand in the air in a dismissive manner. "Do whatever you do."

* * *

He was not looking for her. Wasn't even thinking about her. Starscream would find her soon enough; her energy couldn't stay muted forever, the provocative signature of the humans was quite distinct in an all Cybertronian settlement.

To come upon her, standing in the dark, so close to the edge of the throne room's treacherous walkway, that her shoes peeked over, had even TC suddenly feeling wary.

"Come away from the edge," Thundercracker spoke calmly, his vocals laced with cautionary protocols.

Alexis made no show of acknowledgment; her head was folded down; her gaze in the dark abyss below. Thundercracker suddenly remembered that Starscream, in the much earlier days of Megatron's reign, used to come to that near exact spot after the throne room was cleared out, after Megatron was far away, and stand there, staring in nearly the same manner as the human. His thoughts racing, emotions high, usually after a demeaning beat down from their leader. And, after observing the human, seeing her day in and day out, he knew she had picked up some of Starscream's traits and habits, some more obvious than others.

"Step back," TC demanded. He tried to keep his tone low, but it radiated out, echoing beyond and swirling back around, pounding through the air as the volume lifted and grew.

She took a step. Only in the wrong direction.

"Alexis step back!" he yelled out, taking several short steps toward her, trying not to spook the human.

Alexis visibly shivered, her head snapping up, body shifting as she reacted to her name leaving his mouthpiece for the first time.

And then she fell over the edge.

TC sprinted forward, ground breaking up and part of the walkway giving from the violent burst of momentum. He found Alexis still holding on the edge, fingers barely gripping.

"No more," Alexis whispered, but she wasn't talking to him. Her eyes were staring beyond, her tone nominal. He tried to reach for her, but in his astonished state only managed to bump against the floor with his digit. The small thump rippled through the ground, sending enough of a shock that the human reacted. Her fingers retracted. Then the human dropped and disappeared in the great void below.

* * *

"She has what!" Starscream bellowed.

Thundercracker cringed; Skywarp beside him flinched heavily, his wings rising hard as he took a step back against the wall of the infirmary.

"From what I quickly learned of human anatomy... she has a couple of bruised ribs, and I believe a concussion. Due to my lack of knowledge about these creatures," he glared at Skywarp, "my guess is only by comparing it to examples I found in the medical text you provided me." Knock Out's voice lowered, twisted amusement shining forth. "I thought it was just a demented rumor. I mean what self-respecting 'con would take a human as a mate?"

Starscream's hand flew out, backhanding the medic with violent force. Knock Out brought his hand up to his mouthpiece, wiping the thick energon off with suppressed rancor.

"And the rumors of your early demise... those can always become true," Starscream growled.

Knock Out opened his mouth, thought better of it and slammed it tightly shut. Waiting a moment, carefully backing away from Starscream, he spoke again, "I can treat her, I just need..."

"No," Starscream interjected. "You will stabilize her. You will monitor her. But if as much as her blood pressure drops, it will be your head."

"If I am not going to do this I will need some things."

The Supreme Seeker ignored the medic. Turning to Thundercracker and Skywarp he addressed them, "Bring me Ratchet. He was her physician for years, he will attend her."

"And if the Autobot refuses to come?" TC questioned.

Starscream lifted up his head, a viral stare pointed at him. "Do you have to ask?"

Ironic, Starscream lets the Autobots stay because he knows at the state of his fledgling power that he cannot afford to slight Optimus Prime. Now, he was ready to use extreme measures to obtain the bot's medic.

Turning around, Starscream went back to Alexis, his optics severely placed on the medic who was making an effort to stabilize her.

* * *

Yes, Starscream would throw blame on him. He only saved the humans life... again. So he gripped her a little too tight, and burned his thrusters too hard when he caught her. It wasn't his fault that she wouldn't wake up, that her small body twisted and turned; her mouth ejecting tortured words as if she fought against some unknown assailant. That display disturbed 'Screamer to the point of wild panic, he was inwardly swarming with an anxiety that TC had not felt from his wingmate since before Megatron off-lined him.

There was something going on, something that had been stirring since shortly after their arrival upon the planet. Alexis had indeed grown quiet as Skywarp said, her emotions no longer as visible as they had once been, hidden under a mask of retrospect. Starscream he knew, tried to ignore it, but even he, could only disillusion himself to a certain extent. And now, her tumble over the throne room's walkway, only served to illuminate things further.

Suddenly, TC recalled the last conversation he had with the girl. Alexis asking him about his battles, hinting and probing further. She was usually cautions when talking to him, careful about what she said. But this time she was adamant and firm, wanting and needing to know. By the time he ascertained where it was all leading, to the uncontrollable campaign on the planet Enricy, he had been so offended that Starscream had even told her of the better forgotten battle, that he had walked off in a troubled huff.

But now he wasn't so sure if Starscream told her anything at all. Still, he didn't quite know how Starscream and the human's relationship worked, nor how their link and bond functioned. Starscream didn't speak of it, and Thundercracker didn't ask. He knew they sensed each other, could hear each other's thoughts here and there, as he recognized their silent conversations. But there was more to what they shared, he was starting to believe, more than perhaps there should have been.

* * *

With unsought assistance from Bumblebee, Ratchet was brought back with ease. Coming with Alexis' friend Mikaela and Sam, the three headed straight to the medical quarters. After making sure they made their way there, TC headed back to his quarters. He updated space charts, tidied his compartments, straightened his terminal's mainframe and then began an extensive research into space bridge technology.

He was having a hard time focusing though. And a twitchyness kept erupted sporadically, his thoughts straying and drifting into realms he didn't want to travel to. When Starscream contacted him a couple of hours later, Thundercracker said nothing of the fact that he had already been heading to the medical quarters, when Starscream requested his presence there. He wasn't thrilled either, that he wasted some time thinking up an excuse for him to go there in the first place, before Starscream contacted him.

His spark pulsed hard when he entered the medical laboratory. The compartments had been cleared of everyone but Ratchet and Starscream, and the way they focused upon him as he made his way to them, made his wings twitch.

Then Ratchet began to speak, Starscream focusing on the wall across from TC, his arms heavily laced across his cockpit. The uneasy feeling grew, the explanation leading to something. Finally, it seemed to be breaking through to the point.

"If Starscream waited until he was able to control himself better, and shown better judgment and discipline before he interfaced with Alexis, none of this would have happened. Did I not warn you, before you took Alexandra as your mate, to proceed with your intimacy with... restraint, until..."

"Restraint? Discipline?" Starscream scoffed with anger. "That would have taken years of preparation, and I waited long enough. I still do not see how this correlates to..."

"Humans do not have filter ports as femmes do. When you connected with her as you did, she had no safeguard against the excessive data packets you expelled and exposed her to." Ratchet suddenly turned back toward TC. "Which is why you are here Thundercracker, would you like to explain that to him Starscream or should I?" The medic's tone was condescending and gruff, agitation working through his vocalizations.

Starscream's back pushed up into a hard line. His gaze falling anywhere but upon TC. "You tell him," he said sharply. "I am going back to Alexis."

Ratchet waited until the Seeker was gone before he addressed TC again. "Tell me Thundercracker, exactly how close are you to Alexis?"

That question hit him as if a blaster shot. A ripple of sharp emotion awakened and trickled through his energon. Unperturbed outwardly, he answered easily enough. "She is Starscream's mate. I am his wingmate. _That _is the extent."

"Excellent. I need someone who can remain impartial if this is to succeed."

"This?"

"I could just shut down her nanites, but Starscream will not allow it. Without them, her healing factor would wane and there is a good chance that they wouldn't sense each other as I assume they do, but it would help purge some of the extra data." Ratchet looked at Thundercracker waited for him to confirm or deny the last statement. "I assume by your passive stance, that you do not know yourself how things are between the two?"

"It is not for me to speak of," Thundercracker replied, his words laced with aggression. Medics always did have the innate ability to probe where others most certainly wouldn't have dared, and the Autobot medic, took that freedom and exploited it.

"Yes, of course you would say that. However, I do know that trinemates can emulate each other's signals." Catching TC's expression of bewilderment he chuckled. "Give me some credit, that defensive measure has been known for some time, and can be of great help in this instance."

"As much fun as it has been hearing of Starscream's personal life and the state of his human, I suggest you either tell me why I have been summoned here, or stop wasting my time. I do have things to do."

Ratchet dispensed with the unnecessary chatter and shot straight to the spark of the matter. "I want you to connect to Alexis. Enter her mind and straighten this mess up, if you don't, I cannot predict how long it will be until she wakes again. And the longer she is out like this, the worse it will get."

Arms rising stiffly over his cockpit, he assimilated what was just said. His processors whirled briskly through the data, his energon racing through his circuits. Responding and reacting internally his emotions fought against his common sense, a sharp sensation pulsing along his spark chamber, before rationality won out and buried the chaos deep within his mainframe.

"Is this some sort of galactic joke? Starscream is her mate, Starscream should be the one," Thundercracker finally spoke.

"Alexis' reaction to Starscream right now is not a promising one. If he connects to her at this point, the damage will escalate and spread. No, it must be someone she has no relationship with and who can remain detached and impersonal, but who is capable of joining with her, someone say, who shares Starscream's base energy signature."

The longer the medic spoke of Alexis; the more offended TC became, and he didn't want to decipher why. "Whether I agree or not, what you speak of is impossible. She is a human; I can't just plug into her and siphon off her data."

Ratchet shook his head. "Actually, you can. And if you agree, I will show you how. If you refuse, I suppose I will have to somehow ready someone else, perhaps one of the 'bots that is here..."

Thundercracker shifted around, looking at the corner of the wall where the human was on the other side. TC envisioned her tiny, prone, and now helpless. He turned back around.

That peculiar feeling alighted once more against his spark. Showing no signs of the internal struggle, he sighed heavily. "Tell me what I have to do."

* * *

"This will allow us keep in contact with you while you are... gone," Ratchet explained, placing another module along the thin panel on his neck. The more instruments that were placed upon his frame, the more strained the watching Starscream became. Now lying flat on a raised platform, Alexis lay below on a smaller, human sized one. She had already been prepped by Mikaela, the girl appearing capable enough as she did so.

Starscream watched that human as well, discord along the edge of his mouth as Alexis' friend helped get the procedure started. Ratchet was efficient and capable as well, thriving in the expediency that he produced as they readied.

The last module placed on the corner of his left temple; Ratchet nodded his head. "I should tell you, humans do not have the capability of totally shutting down as we do when we are in a state of recharge. Right now, she is showing signs of being in a dream state. Humans create scenarios in their unconscious state, what you see, what you observe will not be linear nor, logical. Through her subconscious discord, you must find the source of her malfunction. Once you get close enough to the problem, you will inform me through the link provided so that I can initiate a purge. It is up most importance that you determinate it correctly; a miscalculation could damage her irreparably. We might not get another chance at this. She is already blocking my probes. Again, gain her trust and bring down her firewalls. Are you ready?"

"You speak of dreams; I _have_ had dreams before," he said, his tone condescending.

Ratchet seemed a little surprised at that. "Really? I didn't know Decepticons were capable of such frivolities."

Ratchet moving back, Starscream came up to him. "Bring her back to me." The Seeker lowered his voice. "And be aware that I will be monitoring you _very_ closely, keep that in your processor as you wander through the corners of her mind." Behind all his words was a threat, and not a very subtle one. Starscream was not pleased with what was about to happen, but he wasn't about to stop it either.

TC looked over towards Ratchet; the medic was already standing before the monitor, ready to commence.

"I'm ready."

The medic swiped his hand over a tablet. Energy crackled along Thundercracker's frame, circuits burned, his optics off-lined and a bodily impact was felt. Optics coming back on-line, TC sat up, his gaze sweeping over the vast landscape that was Alexis' mind.


	49. Glimpse

The world Thundercracker found himself in was immensely bright and colorful. Houses lined either side of him, a residential area that somehow looked familiar. An old man walking his dog passed by Thundercracker, neither very concerned with his sudden appearance, or even the fact that he was there. The senior even offered the towering Decepticon an acknowledging smile, the dog a short inspecting sniff at his pediform.

"You shouldn't be here," Alexis walked up to him from out of nowhere. She stretched her neck up as she crained to get a view of him. "And this size factor will just not do here." She lifted up her hand, and as she lowered it down, TC shrunk, and kept shrinking until he stood a foot above Alexis in height. "That's better." She smiled at the human-sized Decepticon. "You've better come with me."

"How did you do that?"

"I'm dreaming, I can do whatever I want." Again, Alexis smiled. "Follow me."

He did take that first step to follow, but the world flashed before TC moving and pulsing along as if alive. He was now standing in a dark place, no, not standing, sitting. Before him stood Alexis in front of a TV. She was frozen, mesmerized by whatever was being shown. He got up, moving to stand alongside. Clips were being shown, some quick, some lingering, some even repeating. They depicted violence, and butchery and more violence. The walls shaking as the surround sound came to life, screams echoing and weapons discharging.

"Even women and children," Alexis said, her voice wracked with the horrors shown. "And the defenseless and the helpless, those that even surrendered. You butchered them just the same." She turned to him; her eyes were drowned in liquid, her face drawn tight with sympathetic grief. "You all... you all are monsters. I didn't know you were capable of such butchery Thundercracker. And Starscream," she shuttered, "he's the worst of you all."

"Turn this off," Thundercracker ordered, he had more than seen enough.

Finding the power button, he pressed it. The TV, did not turn off, the volume however, increased. More screaming filled the small room, the weapon fires resuming before a deadly calm filled the air. Stepping back he noticed the scenery from the planet Enricy, remembered the horrible silence after that particular very one-sided battle, that still, haunted his processor.

"You didn't have to follow orders. You didn't have to kill them all."

His fist lashed out, punching through the flat-screen TV, the electronic device shattered like glass, pieces coming apart and falling down in slow motion. "You know _nothing_."

She turned to him, her soulful eyes wide and searching. "Then should I forget this too?"

"Do what you must so that we can leave here."

"Leave?" she scoffed, eyes scrunching. "_Why_ would I want to leave here?"

Again, everything changed. Even Alexis who before, was wracked with guilt that wasn't her own, and struck with remorse, was beaming at him. It was if what just happened, was easily forgotten, shuffled away, as the next scenario took place.

"I'm _happy_ here." She waved her hands around. The two were in a park, ducks quacked on a glittering pond; children ran by with kites flying high. "_So_ happy. I can do what I want. Go wherever I want. Do whatever I want. No limitations, just..." she paused momentarily. "I _know_ I am dreaming; I know none of this is real. But it _feels_ real, more real than any other dream I have ever known." She frowned slightly, taking a step closer to him. Her hand found his cockpit, slowly wandering down. He stood there, shocked at her boldness, haunted by the soft pressure of her hand, his optics following the movement. "I just don't know why you are here, and why you continue to be here. Usually by now you would have morphed into someone else... like my dad, or mom, or a teacher or... heck, even a piece of paper."

"Do you want to fly?" Alexis broke off all contact as she asked, her sentence left unfinished as she rocketed toward another inconsistent illogical rambling of speech. "I want to fly, and since you are here, you can fly with me, perhaps we can even race, how does that sound?"

"Fly, you _can't_ fly."

Alexis began to lift off the ground body floating several feet off the grassy mound. "Here I can, and I can do _so_ much more!"

"But you don't have wings... don't have..."

She ignored him, her hands lifting up, her body following along as she began to really move up and away. "Come on," she yelled back at him.

Thrusters activating almost involuntarily, he followed after the flying human.

* * *

"I've always wanted to do that... I mean with Starscream of course, but since he isn't here, well doing it with one Seeker is better than none." She hugged herself tight, sighing deeply.

The two had just landed, from what TC considered the strangest experience. Continually, the world below and around them changed, turning into difference atmospheres, landscapes, even times of day. This whole dreamscape of Alexis' unconscious mind was riddled with paradoxes and a lack of reality and time.

"There is another thing I have always longed to do," Alexis said, walking up to him; she peered at him openly. "I know you aren't Starscream, but how I have wondered what it would be like to have him my size, how I have wondered what it would be like to touch him, to kiss him." Suddenly, she was up on her tiptoes, and before he could step back, before he could object, Alexis' mouth found his, pressing gently against it as one of her hands found his left shoulder panel, holding on firmly.

Thundercracker was starting to understand. There was no checks or inhibitions here. No control, only action. She did what she felt, not what she reasoned. This Alexis was without restraints, freed of logic and riding only on instinct.

But slag, how was it that he could feel so much? Felt the jarring sensation of her mouth against his own, felt her body heat and smelled that provocative scent of hers, closer than ever. He was frozen, astounded, grasping for sense in the nonsensical. Before his processor could catch up with the undeniable fact that her lips were indeed where they were, Alexis pulled back, discouraged by his lack of response.

"That kiss was as cold as you are," Alexis said with amused reproach. "I guess I should have known."

His logic snapped then, his finely tuned control lost in an irresistible impulse. His hand clamped down on her wrist, pulling her back.

"I never even began," he spoke, his voice a rhythmic rumble.

And this time he was kissing her, perhaps harder than he meant, but it was his first time initiating such a close encountered procedure. However, he saw other humans do it, saw Starscream...

Something changed. Opening his eyes, he found Alexis gone.

* * *

Thundercracker already went through dozens of scenarios, his role changing as well as Alexis'. Consistencies and reality were lost out to whatever the imagination could bring. The dreamscape was detailed to the point of overload; the things included or thought up; staggering.

They didn't communicate as they did before, for no longer where they Alexis and Thundercracker, but modified versions that existed in far different templates. Where he found himself was not dreams as he knew it, but an explosion of thoughts, experiences, ideas, imaginations, sensations, wishes, hopes... and expectations. What he was not aware of at that time, was that the more scenarios he went through the more planted in them he became. TC was forgetting himself as he forgot entirely of why he was there and what he needed to do. Unaware that her dreamscape was becoming his.

He was now the dreamer as well, drifting through Alexis' vivid subconscious.

So when the world shifted once again, and he found a clawed scaly hand in front of his eyes, felt the wind flowing smoothly around his long leathery wings, as he felt the muscles in his upper back contract with each flap, it was, as far as he knew, exactly how things were.

He was Phal Th'und, leader of the Crimson Finthal dragon clan. He was feared by the five kingdoms, known for his cunning and winning of battles, his mastery of the hunt and fierce defense of his clan. No important decisions among the dragons clans were made without his approval, no battles fought without first seeking his aid.

But that, he knew, as years turned into decades, turned into far longer, was growing tiresome and repetitive. He flew now, more than ever. Phal Th'und no longer reveled in the scurrying humans below or the screams of the uneasy maidens. His shadow alone was enough to frighten most, and if any ever got the chance to view his true visage; they would know why he knew no rival in form. His scales were a shimmering brownish green, his eyes a piercing blue, his wingspan a magnificent sight to behold, that stretched far beyond his strong back; a sign of virility among dragons, that, along with his lean body shape, growing reputation, and tails of successful quests, had him rejecting more than a few females that sought him to sire their hatchlings.

He had one spot he visited more than most. A hillside that held a long-abandoned cottage, its once human-made paths long covered up by grass and wild flowers, the isolation and soothing sounds of the nearby lake, conducive to the reliving of stress. So when he landed, he did not expect to hear the whinnying of a frightened horse, did not expect to hear a small voice yell out as a soft thud was heard. He spotted the source of the sound, watched as a horse raced off, leaving the moving bundle behind.

Something small stood up, a cloak adorned the form; tiny hands came out from under it as the body was wiped off. Then pushing the hood back, a feminine head peaked outward. Right away, her eyes locked with his, mouth dropping open she froze in place, watching him as he crept closer.

Phal Th'und waited for the usual running, scampering and screaming, the usual shock. So what he did not expect was the small girl; (for she was just a child, he now saw) to keep that gaze of hers locked onto his, as she spoke two words of awe that would change everything.

"You're beautiful."

* * *

Over the next several years, he saw the child at least twice a week. It was her purity and innocence of seeing things that always brought him back, the lack of fear on her part when she first saw him. It was her curiosity that brought her back to him, and even as he realized she treated him as a sort of a pet, he learned not to mind.

The attacks upon her village and the surrounding kingdoms ended when he encountered her. She did not know that because of his meeting her, many lives and wars had been spared. Did not know that he had one of his scouts follow her back after one of their meetings, finding out who she was, and where she belonged. Certain facts that she never felt obliged to allude to.

Finding out his little human was of noble blood accounted for some of her idiosyncrasies, mannerisms, and effectual speech. She was an odd one, soft-spoken one moment, and then unstoppable chatter the next. Calm and refined, and then bold and adventures the next. A tangled storm of humanity all bundled in a peachy shell of the incomplete. She was not the first human he ever knew, humans and dragons fought side by side during times of old, before prejudices and fears had taken root. However, she was the first child, was the first human he could watch grow and mature.

It was the night he found her waiting for him- on that now even more sought out hillside, crying her eyes out but unwilling to speak, that another little habit, besides him taking her for flights, and the young human taking him to new undiscovered areas, began. Phal Th'und had tried to comfort the youngling, as best as he could that night, but not knowing what was wrong, he couldn't do much.

That was when she fell asleep, wrapped between his body and tail, one hand holding onto his clawed finger, the other folded over his tail. The occurrence happening many more times, until one day the dragon opened his eyes, finding the young girl no longer a child, but a young maiden. Her body was leaner, womanly curves evident even under the soft folds of her gown. Her once rounded face was more finely shaped, her mouth plump and rosy, her hair once brown was now a deep auburn, and her jewel-like eyes of emerald, brighter than ever, now shadowed with long flowing lashes.

Her new state would bring further changes. No more would she rest with him as she had as a child, her crossing over into womanhood, forcing her into a sense of protocols and boundaries. Perhaps that was when he phantomed that she no longer saw him as a pet, but something decidingly more.

"I won't be able to come for a while." The lady spoke. "I might not be able to come again," she modified. "Tomorrow I will be considered of age. My father will force me to put away my childish things, and assign me a personal guard. I will no longer be able to get out as I have, and depending who is assigned to me... I..." Her voice broke up.

He nuzzled her with his nose. She leaned against him, heaving out deep.

"You _will_ get away. And you will see me again," he rumbled low with belief.

The way she looked at him. That had changed as well. Did she understand the force behind those penetrating stares of hers? The promise of things that echoed underneath her sidelong glances?

"There is something else. I... I am of marrying age now, my father... my father expects..." she stopped, nervousness catching her unfinished words.

But years passed after that conversation. The young maiden finding ways to get out of any such arrangement, his worries and jealousy erased. But Phal Th'und was being pressured as well. His wizened adviser determined for him to choose a mate. Yet he refuted the offered advice.

"I will not be taking a mate from this clan, or any other. My mate was chosen some time ago."

"The human," the adviser hissed knowingly, his disprovable tainting his words. "You take a human as a mate, and that could greatly undermine all you have achieved thus far. And once the human is gone, what worthy female would allow you to create a brood? What would your father, the great Defender of Rema'arch himself say, if your long and noble lineage ended just because you became taken in by your lust for a human child?"

Phal Th'und ignored the reproach that marked his adviser's words, and out of friendship ignored the dissent. "She is no longer a child. And I will have no other," he stated calmly.

"Is she aware of this?" Again, the tone crept along the edge of disbelief and open despair. The unconventionally of his choice bred perpetual shock, the news not assimilated easily.

"Soon."

With that one word, the matter was settled.

* * *

Only the next time he saw her she was distracted and edgy.

"I have something I have to tell you..."

But she was interrupted, the sounds of horses approaching, forcing them into the need for caution. Before she saddled her horse she leaned against his lifted paw. "I will always care for you Phal Th'und," she spoke. "And I will never forget you." Twisting her head around, she pulled on the reigns, her horse taking off into a wild canter.

There was something final about her words, something that made his heart ache and fire churn in his belly. If he had not been taking precautions of being discovered with her, he would have followed after. The words of hers would end up meaning far more than he ever allowed himself to believe.

It was the following morning when one of his attendants announced that a human requested an audience. The maiden had been there before, but never so early. Still, intense expectation filtered through his blood stream, smoke billowing out of his mouth in fine wisps.

Only the human was the knight Andrew, the maiden's captain of her guard. The male distrusted the dragon, as the dragon distrusted him. He didn't care if he and the lady grew up together, didn't care if she trusted her life with the knight. Didn't care if in thanks in part to the male, that his human was still able to visit him clandestinely.

The knight approached, bowing low. Clearing the cavern out, he waited for the human to speak. The human Andrew's attire was more formal than usual, his armor shined and polished; his sword gleaming and hanging prominently along his side.

"Milady was wed to Prince Strem this morning. She wanted you to be made aware of this, and wanted me to give you this." Cautiously, carefully, the knight approached the dragon's perch, placing a small necklace onto Phal Th'und's outstretched paw.

"Leave, now." Phal Th'und ordered. He stared at the necklace, the difficulties he had to go to in order to find an artisan willing to craft the thing. The joy on his lady's face when he gifted it to her. She had to know what the token meant, had to know what it represented.

Sorrow and rage, and jealousy and pain coursed and pulled at his usually placid emotions. What he did next was acted out of grief and rejection and a hurt, unlike any other; a belief of tainted hope. Everything suddenly seemed so clear. He would take her away from forced duties and controlling kith. He would get away from anyone who believed what he wanted was wrong.

"We attack Gossington Hall at first dark!"

The dragons he assembled knew better than to argue, knew better than to ask why.

* * *

The once great hall was aflame by the time of Phal Th'und's arrival. The roof was pushed in to allow access, the once magnificent gates mere rubble.

He had given specific instructions on how the attack was to proceed. He just wanted to scare them, frighten them, warn them. But the eagerness and ferocity of his clan was not foreseen nor expected. He had to crawl through the great halls, stepping over bodies. The floor was drenched in blood; the air smelled of death. With the dragon's numbers, no human in the dwelling stood a chance.

Neither did she.

He came upon the scene just in time to see Firith, one of his most trusted solders, extending a talon before driving it into the Alexandra below. The sword she had been holding, tumbled out of her hand as she fell. The lady landed beside her friend and captain of the guard, who already lay dead. By the looks of it, he died while trying to protect her.

Thrusting Firith out of the way, he leaned down, the battle disappearing as all he heard was the struggling sound of her trying to breath. She fought to speak, her mouth opening, words trying to be formed; she was unable. But the pain and horror and utter betrayal swimming in the depths of her water-filled eyes, said enough. Her body stilling, her last shaky breath died upon her lips.

"My lord," Firith implored. "We must make our leave. The remaining knights have rallied the townsfolk. They will be here forthwith."

Again and again the soldier pleaded. But the dragon was not listening. Cradling the human, he wrapped his body and tail around her as times of old, holding onto her last bit of warmth.

The agonized roars that proceeded was heard across all five kingdoms.

* * *

"This is my liaison between the government officials and the Autobots: Dr. Star," Megatron announced to Thundercracker. He swept his hand out and down towards the human below.

"We have met," the doctor announced.

"Have you? Well, that is certainly interesting. I will leave you two alone then; I am sure you have much to say to one another."

Much changed since his last visit on Earth. Megatron in once of his grand schemes, was not attacking earth, but seemingly working alongside its residents, gaining trust, and clearances and access to valuable artifacts and resources. He could be quite convincing when he wanted, and the human population was so convinced, that Decepticons came and went with as many freedoms as their Autobot counterparts.

If only the humans knew what was truly in store. Even he wasn't looking forward to it.

"You've grown up." Thundercracker observed.

"And you've stayed the same." She frowned. "I was hoping I would never see you again." She left the hall, small feet carrying her far, and quickly.

TC found her in a small room before a row of lockers, where she was quickly throwing things in it.

"Alexis."

She froze. Turning slowly around she looked up at him.

"_Dr_. Star, that's my name. Please address me as such." She went back to what she was doing, now looking for something.

"Do you still have that skittish feline?" he inquired. Leaning down he touched her left shoulder. "And that scar?" She jerked away from his touch. Finding her cell phone she placed it in her bag, slamming the locker shut.

"You've been gone for over ten years Thundercracker, do not act as if we were friends. We were never really that anyway..." she said, her words coming our roughly between her small lips.

He watched her leave. TC couldn't help but identify that she knew exactly how long he had been gone. That had to mean something.

* * *

Quickly enough he learned her schedule. Knew when she was on the base, knew when she spent the night when one of Megatron's meetings went well into the later hours. He thought about her a lot after his departure from Earth, but never expected to find her so near upon his return.

Near, but not accessible.

Megatron kept her busy, and between the tasks his master gave the human, and the duties that followed after, she was kept preoccupied.

She had grown much since he left. Alexis was only a lanky teen when he came upon her all those years ago, and now she was... different. Her body, her hair, even the way she walked, and dressed was not the same. He couldn't help but watch her, couldn't help but follow her around with his optics, a curious hunger growing all over.

"If you are going to do something about the human, I would advise you to do it quickly," Demolisher said. Most thought the 'con a rather stupid addition to their group, but TC found him rather keen and more aware than most others around him. "She has requested a transfer, and has been approved." He moved toward TC's audio receptors, his voice lowering. "Seems Barricade has been showing a little more attention to her than he should have, there was this incident in the..." Demolisher went on, expanding upon the tale. The longer it went on the firmer Thundercracker's hands clenched tight. "That's why she hasn't been spending the night on base anymore," the mech finished with.

What he was told, put TC in such a particular state, that he waited for Alexis in the planning room, waited for it to empty as he stayed behind.

"Why didn't you tell me of Barricade?" he asked; his vocals were calm, but they were filled with accusation.

"Tell you? Why would I tell _you_?" She shook her head, frowning deeply. Alexis tried to get away, but he gently blocked her with his hand.

"I could have done something. I could have taken care of him," he told her, his statement filled with sincerity.

"And why would you want to do that?" she questioned, her voice was lower, her chin lifting as she waited for his answer with sudden interest.

"You can be incredibly foolish. Do you think I wanted to leave all those years ago? Do you think I wanted to leave _you_?"

"You don't mean... You can't mean... don't say anything else." She shook her head so hard that wisps of hair came loose from the clip. She looked conflicted, uneasy, but she stayed rooted to the spot.

Taking that as a sign of encouragement, Thundercracker continued, "Before I left you had... feelings for me; I felt it. I didn't know how to respond, nor what to think," he paused, collecting himself; he wasn't one for acting upon emotions, but some things had to be said. If he held on to what he felt any longer, he would be consumed. He caught her eyes and held on to them. "I know what to think now."

"TC. Stop," she repeated again, his nickname left her mouth easily, triggering his processor to hover in the past; how he met her, how he first despised her. How she was nothing more than an outlet for information and escape. Or, had been in the beginning. If his guiding systems never malfunctioned, he wouldn't have crashed on the blue planet, or met the naive young girl, who thought him some government experiment.

Alexis placed her laptop bag on the round conference table. Gingerly, she stepped closer. "I cared for you, that's true. How, I don't exactly know, but those are times better forgotten. Things have changed. _I_ have changed. And you are ten years too late. I am in..."

"Thundercracker are you there?" Starscream's voice blared thought his processor, blocking out whatever Alexis was about to say. "What is the state of Alexis? Why have you ignored my communications? If you don't respond immediately, I will have Ratchet wake you and terminate the link!"

That was when everything caught up with him, when the dreamscape he was in started to warble temporarily. The images solidified as soon as Starscream stopped speaking. Alexis was still talking below, but he couldn't hear her voice. For he suddenly remembered who he was, why he was there, and that everything and all that occurred, was nothing more than an elaborate illusion.

Conflicted, but alert, he knew what he needed to do.


	50. Adversary

"Did you get what I wanted?"

Moonbreaker stepped forward. His arrival upon Cybertron was so far an insipid occasion. This was the first time he stood on the planet, and despite that it was considered his home world; he wandered too long and traveled too far for the twisted metal dome to mean anything more than a job at hand.

Not that the planet didn't hold an interest and a purpose. Primus himself had to know he waited for this occasion a very long time. Planning and collecting info and data, time passed as everything came together, until finally his opportunity to take things to the next level arrived.

"I got them," he grunted out. Taking a large bag, he swung it forward. The haversack clanked against the bottom of the thrown's stairs. What was inside broke loose and spread out.

Five severed Cybertronian heads.

"Your reputation as relentless bounty hunter proceeds you," Starscream, the Supreme Air Commander said. Bending forward and down from where he sat, Starscream examined the remains of the rebel forces. Despite his glowing words, he seemed far from satisfied. "Taking on five elite scouts on your own could not have been an easy task."

Moonbreaker spoke, "They were _only_ scouts. An army is building, my sources tell me they will be targeting Cybertron."

"And Soundwave?"

Hands unclasping, he threw a couple of data chips forward. Another Seeker stepped forward, deftly catching the small devices. Identifying Skywarp, Breaker's optics narrowed.

"I retrieved their individual data nodes before I finished them off, as you requested. You will find all you need to know contained in those chips," he informed the Seekers.

After scanning the devices, Skywarp crushed them in his palm. Stepping toward Starscream, he whispered something. There was no reaction to what was told, and for a moment of insanity, Moonbreaker admired the collected manner. One would not have known that he just brought evidence back that they now had a new enemy. And if the rumors Breaker heard, and the way mouthpieces clamped shut when he mentioned the name, a formidable one at that. Not that resistance ever stopped him from getting the information he needed. The silence only made the game of retrieval a little more interesting. Yet no matter what he did, however, imaginative and full of pain, had only a few speaking at the end, which led him to believe that Starscream as calm as he appeared, was only hiding what had to be fear.

That thought brought Moonbreaker immense pleasure, and he nearly betrayed his emotions as a smile tried to escape and dominate his mouthpiece.

"Yes, you do indeed live up to your reputation." This time the Air Commander seemed sincerer, or as much as the Seeker was capable of. He didn't seem pleased to be there, and it wasn't just the ominous news Breaker brought that had a cloud of doom hovering above. Moonbreaker was forced to wait hours to get an audience with the Decepticon Lord, and longer than that to get clearance to land. He was perceptive enough to realize that something was going on.

Starscream stood, stepping down the many declined steps from his massive thrown chair. Up close Moonbreaker found he was actually impressed; it seemed some rumors were indeed true. The Seeker was a dominant figure, his frame sleek; his wings folded neatly behind his back panel. The mech was well-built and obviously formatted for battle. Halting his scanners before they were detected, Breaker, nonetheless, gleamed some of the massive weapon cache the Seeker contained within and the formidable fire-power.

Starscream leaned in, not indisposed in the least that Moonbreaker more than outsized the Seeker. Breaker's build, while larger, hid more than a few deadly weapons along his frame, adding necessary bulk to his body. Like the Seeker before him, he was capable of flight, but unlike Starscream, he had a multi-transforming cog, which, while wasn't as efficient nor elegant as a single, did allow for travel along multiple terrains. He was a mixture of gleaned Cybertronian tech and scanned alien cultures; his form upgraded so many times for so many different purposes. At the moment, he was a mix between a Rifien tank and a Cybertronian cruiser jet, a conglomeration of massive torque and sufficient air speeds that wasn't as fast in the skies as the Seekers before him, but definitely served its purpose.

"How would you like to work _exclusively_ for me?" Starscream rasped. "I could use someone with your abilities."

"After only one mission and you wish to recruit me? I can see why you lack qualified soldiers with such _meager_ expectations." Moonbreaker replied dryly, saying what he thought. Only when it was to some advantage did he filter his words. His forthright manner of speech got him into more than a few sticky situations over the cycles; he just marked down those unavoidable altercations as gaining experience.

"Who I recruit is not the same as who follows me. My expectations are undecided, but my instinct tells me you could be an asset. Unless you prove otherwise and then let's just say I _hate_ to be disappointed." Scarlet optics hovering down, the Seeker noticed his damaged appendage. "You could use the medic's attention. Go to the medlab and think things over. I will have your answer before you leave. Know this though, if you refuse me, I will consider you an enemy. A rogue mech with no ties is a statistic I will not tolerate when war is close at hand."

"You have your Seekers, use them for what you have in mind." Moonbreaker sneered. "Threats you will find, do not make decisions for me, no matter _who_ is giving them."

Starscream was undeterred by Moonbreaker's adversarial nature, but his gaze was sharply placed on the mech. "Skywarp and Thundercracker are engaged in more important matters," the Seeker stated, his tone of voice was almost mocking, a subtle threat hidden inside the statement that resounded as a dare.

Breaker took up on it, speaking forth when others would have backed down. "You mean they are incapable of retrieval and disposal and have grown complacent. I have seen it before. But the weak only means I am paid more."

Starscream pushed his hands out when Skywarp came barreling down the stairs ready to object to what he just said and obviously in a physical manner. Breaker smirked at the waylaid Seeker. Skywarp responded with a rather crude swiping gesture and an equally large smirk.

"If credits is what it takes to secure your services, so be it. Loyalty by greed is easier to control and simpler to deal with when necessary. Now I suggest you head to med-lab before I decide to let Skywarp object further. Knock Out will see to your damage."

* * *

When things went even easier than calculated, Moonbreaker knew that he had to be all the more cautious. He did not expect Starscream to try to recruit him so soon, but perhaps it was just a reaction in desperation. Despite his vocal objections, he knew his answer was to be in the affirmative.

After all, getting access to the Starscream, perhaps even getting close to the Trine, was exactly what he planned all along. All the training, all the tracking and hunting, the gladiatorial pits and the obsessive search for perfection, everything was with a purpose and a reason.

From what rumors he heard and the tales he was told, Moonbreaker deciphered Starscream's weakness long before his arrival. Rancor brewed within, anger emerging momentarily before he calmly asserted control. He did not wait this long to make an error in judgment during execution. Starscream and his Trine would get what was coming to them, exactly what they deserved. They would not get away with what they did.

* * *

Moonbreaker found himself slightly confused when after entering the med lab, he found Starscream within and what looked like to be Thundercracker, who was flat out on a table, and a creature of human origins also unconscious nearby. Both were marked by small blinking modules on their foreheads and below their necks.

After seeing to his ship, he decided to take up on the offer of repair. Not finding the medic within, he went to the back room which is where he came upon the scene before him. Before he could get a closer look, Starscream sensed him immediately. The Seeker shot up, pushed him out with the pressure of the enraged and then slammed his hand against the wall. The door slid shut and then clicked announcing a locking mechanism at work.

"Did you need something?"

Snapping around, the first thing he noticed was the Autobot symbols, the second thing he saw was a human standing below and nearby. Disgusted by the infestation, he brought his weapon online, his decontaminator purring in the ready. Before he could engage the purification protocol, the medic grabbed his arm, twisted him around and deactivated the weapon with a deft curl of his digits.

"Exactly what do you think you are doing?" the medic asked, his vocals were brutally rough. Moonbreaker's simple action created much anger in the Autobot, a small little tidbit that he filed away for later.

"Why did you stop me? It's one thing experimenting on the creatures; it's another having them spread."

"Humans are not an infestation; they are _sentient _beings. Perhaps it wasn't explained to you, but we prefer our humans alive. They are our comrades." The medic let Moonbreaker go, but not before his scanners swept over the mech's form. The Autobot remained tense and alert even after Breaker's disarmed weapon retracted back into his hand.

"If you are looking for the Decepticon medic I suggest you head to level B, section 7. He has been reassigned while other matters are attended to." The medic informed; his words dipped and tunneled down a level, his vocals curt. He didn't even try to hide that he wanted Moonbreaker to leave immediately, nor as he defensively blocked the human by stepping before it, that he was not beyond taking things further if circumstances called for it. "I suggest you familiarize yourself with whom we do not kill around here and ease off your trigger, or you will need more than a medic to put yourself back together."

* * *

Knock Out, Moonbreaker found, while pompous and entirely condescending, also loved to talk. And as the medic repaired him, he droned on, obviously miffed that he was thrown out of his own medical lab and sent elsewhere.

"If I knew Starscream was going to put human needs ahead of a fellow mech's, I would have rethought my coming here. And the gall, the gumption to treat me like some just graduated cadet! Does he know my skill set? Does he even understand the honor he has by having me at his disposal? Just shuffle me off to the side and allow an Autobot to take over my lab. As if it didn't take me a good many days to organize and put it exactly like I wanted." He grabbed another tool, a fine line of fire sprouted from the long tip. He swiped it over the bent joint, then used his fingers to gently set it back in place.

"Why don't you leave then?"

The medic glared, "Because one must know where the power falls, if one wants to grab it."

"And you think Starscream is this power?"

Knock Out lifted an optic ridge. He huffed, apparently believing the answer was an obvious one. "For the moment anyway. On his own he would have never been able to hold onto it, with his wingmates assisting; the power is unrivaled." Sliding the panel back over the repaired joint, Knock Out scanned the section before folding the appendage in and out.

"That's it." Knock Out nodded. "Your mobility is now 120 percent. I increased the range of motion by fifteen percent and the enclosure endurance by 12 percent."

Testing the appendage himself, Moonbreaker found the repairs were more than adequate.

"The humans... what is their purpose here?" Breaker asked.

Knock Out scoffed. "One is the berth warmer to Starscream. The others just bugs _not_ to squash if you don't want the Autobots sending you to the pit."

"Autobots... how long have they been here?"

That question set something off in the medic, momentarily his optics drilled into Breaker's, analyzing the mech with suspicion. He still spoke though, but his guard was now up. "They have been here for thirty two hours. If Starscream's human didn't go injure herself, I am sure they would have been taken care of by now." At the mention of the human his words flowed eagerly. "Starscream is far too preoccupied with that femme. He puts too much value in such an ephemeral being. But she must pleasure him quite a bit if he keeps her around and takes her as a mate."

"Mate?" Moonbreaker chocked on the word, revulsion distorting his vocalizer. Fortunately, the medic didn't notice his emotional response. He was far too busy straightening up his equipment and cleaning up the mess.

Making his way out, he paused momentarily. Being away in the Altrarium system for the last couple years, clouded the facts and rumors more than it should have. He thought he assimilated enough of the updates and reports to proceed. Now he knew he was going to have to take more time to separate the fact from the fiction.

But a human as a mate to Starscream? Starscream, who regarded femmes only as much as they could benefit him until he discarded and threw them off when he was done? Yes, Moonbreaker knew of that well enough. Indignation and offense rippled through his mainframe, anger rising back up as his digits curled and bent, digging deep into his palm as energon leaked.

Starscream would pay for that offense of a human as well. Moonbreaker would see to it.

* * *

Knowing that to appear too eager to join Starscream's cause wouldn't further his interests, Moonbreaker left Cybertron. He would return in a week or two, by then he would have everything sorted and know how to proceed.

Not even fifteen parsecs away from the wreck of a planet, his ship's comm channel opened. Curiously, it was not a vocal communication, but a text message. It contained coordinates and a brief note:

_Information obtained, identity: known. Meeting: Required._

It was such a strange message that Moonbreaker altered course, heading to the Rifthenk moon as directed. Oddly enough he had been on the moon before, it was a good place to find upgrades and other merchandise that more law-abiding merchants would have been ill at ease to sell.

Checking out the location on a downloaded map, he saw that the coordinates were in fact to an uninhabited area, a part of the moon that was not colonized as part of the vast city landscape. With his occupation, Moonbreaker was accustomed to such clandestine meeting places, so he didn't think much of it. Landing his ship, he did a quick weapons check, arming the ship's defense program just in case it was tampered with while he was gone. He then proceeded to the provided coordinates.

The appearance that he arrived first, was only a superficial one. His scanners showed that there was more than one Cybertronian nearby. Activating his deep scanners, a holographic sensor activated before his optics, giving him a better idea of what he was dealing with.

There were only about a dozen or so life signals, but only one continued to the rendezvous coordinates. He didn't know who he was expecting, but as the Decepticon appeared, the lean, silver polished, visor wearing mech that was almost as infamous as Megatron, Moonbreaker identified him immediately: Soundwave.

The mech had not been seen since Megatron's demise. Although why he was appearing all of a sudden, and before him of all mechs was certainly worth finding out.

The Decepticons that held back began to march forward when Soundwave clipped his head down. All dropped to the ground before Moonbreaker, bending low on their knee-plates. It was when Soundwave bowed down himself, that the oddity perplexed.

"Prodigy of: identified," Soundwave spoke, his electronic words directly transmitted into Breaker's receivers.

It was a hack that shouldn't have been possible, let alone done so easily. The detached words chilled Moonbreaker. No one knew who his parental units were. However, that known and by who, he should have been considered an enemy not an ally.

"Allegiance of my army: pledged." Soundwave projected. "Outcome: Megatron avenged."

* * *

AN: 50th chapter celebration! Just out of curiosity, I would like to know how many readers I have left, so if you would "check in" so to speak- that would be great!


	51. Ensue

The awareness of Thundercracker's dream state did not reach the conclusion he expected. The scenarios stopped, but the chaos remained. He did not understand how he was supposed to identify or locate anything within. Where he was inside was not a computer system with a well-structured file system. This was subconscious twisted and reformed, taking on the appearance of Alexis' world and imagination.

Since his retrieval of his own awareness, things changed for the much different. His understanding brought back Alexis' awareness, that as ill-defined as it was, made what he needed to do that much more difficult. For one, he couldn't find her, and not for a lack of trying. He searched more places and constructs than he would have ever believed possible. He traced and followed paths of data that led to her home, her school, different years and time frames and even places of employment.

He was getting frustrated and fed up. How easy it would have been to forget his purpose, to allow the flow of her subconscious to catch him and put him back into the stream of dreams that ebbed and flowed, rippled and spread through and within, turning mundane reality into provoking glimpses inside Alexis' psyche that he could interact with.

"She doesn't like you here," a small voice said.

He just entered the playground of a preschool. Tiny little versions of humanity were playing outside, rushing and running along. They were shouting and crying, screaming and talking, most breaking off and forming groups as they played with toys and large interactive constructs that were made just for their size.

Turning around, he had to angle his neck-piece quite a way to see who was speaking. It was a young girl; she had her hair pulled back into long flowing pig-tails, pink bows adorning the wrapped tresses. A yellow dress adorned the child that clashed with her bright green eyes.

He recognized her immediately.

"Alexis?"

The kid stuck her tongue out.

"Don't talk to me, _you_ are a _stranger_."

He frowned at that. "You spoke to me first."

"I did not." She shook her head firmly and once more shot her tongue out at Thundercracker with a great show of disrespect. "Don't look at me! Go away." She ran away and joined the other kids.

TC followed. Between the time he talked to the child and his first steps that he took, something changed. Screaming began as kids and teachers alike reacted to his Cybertronian presence. His view was changing; everything became smaller as he grew back to his original height. The air became cloudy and thick, the sun blinking away as the moon shot out overhead, waning high above.

"I just want to help," Thundercracker spoke. "Let me help you."

"By invading my mind, using my imagination to create your own fantasies? I think you have been here long enough." The voice echoed around TC, but had no fixed point. "I will give you one more try. Find me and perhaps I will listen."

"Where are you?"

"The only place you haven't bothered to look, but is more important to me than you realize."

With that the mist pulled back, the darkness faded, the sun burst into the sky as a ray off light escaped, highlighting a path.

* * *

He found her in a church. The building was large. The front double doors were wide open, allowing him easy entrance. Or it would have, if he was still of human size. Getting on a knee plate, he peered through the open doors. Thundercracker tried to catch a glimpse of the girl inside.

The building held no one within. It held many empty seats inside, but no one was within. Frustrated once again, he got back up. Ready to continue his search, he suddenly heard music playing; people were singing and shouting, and a bass was traveling underneath the cement, rattling along the street.

Getting back down, he made a visual sweep. The humans noticed TC right away, people once more reacting to his presence as the building cleared out of all except one.

"Alexis, come out."

She didn't move, just sat there with her head bowed, her hands folded over in her lap.

"I'm sorry. I lied. I don't want to talk to you. And now you should leave." Her hand swiped over her shoulder; the church doors slammed shut. TC's body was thrown back into the parking lot.

And that was all it took for Thundercracker to wake up.

* * *

Three days had gone by since Alexis fell over the walkway. Three days of Starscream sulking and throwing blame his way, of Skywarp glaring at him because of where TC went that he wasn't even considered, three days of the girl in the medical lab still unconscious.

He was only in her head for a couple of hours, and yet if felt like a couple of lifetimes. Thundercracker could recall every scenario, every word, every touch and every moment. The clarity of the dream and the detail put into it was so real to him despite all the inconsistencies, that to wake back to his reality and circumstances was unsatisfying.

Was that how dreaming was for all humans? Did they all dream so deeply? Did they all feel and experience so much in so short a time?

Ratchet tried to convince him to go back in, yet after he finally decided to try again, the connection modules refused to function. Somehow the unconscious human locked them out.

"So much for that," Starscream groused, the aggravation in his tone multiplying. "Now what?"

Ratchet shook his head, showing signs of disappointment. "Alexis must wake up on her own; that is all there is to it."

* * *

Finally, she did wake up. Of course, Thundercracker was never informed. So to come upon the small human standing before the view port that Starscream made for her, as she stared out at the barren landscape of Cybertron, was not only a surprise, but a shock. If Starscream's emotions hadn't been on such an overload to the point that he had to filter their link, he would have surely been made aware sooner. Perhaps, the fact that he had been unable to recharge since he connected with Alexis, was another factor that was clouding his usual sharp perception.

"You are awake." The moment he spoke he felt incredibly foolish. Of course she was awake, that was Alexis standing there, Alexis turning around and looking up. His spark jumped when she offered him a small smile. He ignored the irregular trepidation. Thundercracker knew he had questions to ask and things he needed to know.

She was just about to say something when Starscream exploded on the scene. The Supreme Air Commander sent a severe dismissive stare TC's way. Standing there just a moment longer, he watched as Starscream carefully placed some food on a nearby table. Then he left the two alone.

* * *

He wasn't to see much of her over the next week. Even the humans and the Autobots saw more of the female than he and Skywarp. Or at least Ratchet and his two human companions, it seemed that Bumblebee was on a list of limited access to Starscream's female.

"This sucks," Skywarp complained bitterly, his words chosen revealed his familiarity with human phrases, and his time spent among them. "I want to see her." Flopping down upon his berth, he vented air. "I mean it was you and Starscream that damaged her, not me... Speaking of which, after what you did, why did Starscream allow _you_ to go inside her head? What the slag is wrong with me?"

Thundercracker decided not to answer. He hadn't bothered all the other times Skywarp brought it up, and he still felt no need. He knew, however, that it was because Alexis liked Warp, and because they got along quite well. TC was chosen because of the distance he had maintained from the human, an irony that now grated along his processor.

"You ever going to tell me what it was like in her mind? What did you see? What did you do? And did you do any of it to her?" Skywarp sighed at his lack of an answer. "Fine, don't tell me. But how long is it going to take before Starscream forces you to? You know that as soon as he isn't distracted anymore, he will force you to show him."

That possibility had crossed his processor. However, whatever he wanted to know, Starscream could get it from the female after her recovery was through, if the Seeker could wait that long. Perhaps that was why Starscream was even more possessive of the female of late. Perhaps he knew some of what happened, what he experienced and what took place. TC shuddered to think of such a possibility. He didn't want Starscream to know. Thundercracker didn't even want himself to know. But it was now a glitch in his mainframe, everything replaying repeatedly as the memories wouldn't fade.

"We received a message from Moonbreaker. It seems he's going to join our party after all."

Thundercracker recognized the designation. He was behind in some of his duties and had yet to place the name with a visual record, but he knew the reputation of the mech.

"The bounty hunter? Have we gotten that desperate?"

"He's an afthole that's for sure, but Screamer has something planned for him, although I am pretty sure it is not what Moonbreaker thinks. Starscream doesn't trust him."

TC scoffed at that. "Starscream doesn't trust anyone."

"Yeah, but if he passes the usual loyalty tests, he will be sticking around for a while. And with the humans due to arrive any day now, well, as they say themselves... there goes the neighborhood."

Thundercracker cringed. That thought didn't mesh well with his systems. But Starscream was allowing humans access to Cybertron. Some were outcasts who had worked with the Decepticons; others were just refugees who needed a place to stay and food to survive. Of course, they would have to work for such a security. TC was pretty sure part of Starscream's decision had to do with Alexis. Bringing more humans to her, would make the female think less about the home planet she left and distract Alexis' overstimulated mind. Somehow though, TC didn't believe that making her forget was going to be that simple.

* * *

The routine of having dinner began again. This time though, Alexis brought along her friends Sam and Mikaela. Never an expert in gauging a human's emotional state, he could not ascertain exactly what she was feeling.

The three humans were talking amicably about earth, about their families and the youngling Alexis' female friend had birthed, about the rebuilding of homes and constructs and about starting over. The humans monopolized the conversation, but no one complained. Starscream, however, by his subtle restlessness was having a difficult time dealing with it, whether out of jealously or because of their enthusiastic prattling, Thundercracker couldn't tell.

However, TC had been unable to fix Starscream's emotional capacity since a little while after Alexis' accident. Their link was being filtered as the Supreme Seeker kept distance from the two. Which meant he was angry at one or both of his trinemates as he held a severe grudge.

Hours after the strange dinner, he was in his quarters when the chime sounded off. Finding out who it was had a marked feeling of apprehension settle in his circuits. Pressing the release, his door slid open.

Alexis stood below. Seeing her closer than he had in a while, he recognized that her skin was back to its normal hue, her eyes once more clear and alert.

"Hi," she greeted him amicably. "I am sorry to bother you... but can we talk for a moment?"

"I'm rather busy. Another time," he said curtly. All the time he waited for a chance to talk to her, and now the opportunity right in front of him, he filled up with unidentifiable aggression.

"Just a moment and I won't bother you further." Alexis promised, her mouth curving downwards as her brows scrunched together. "Starscream knows I am here, so you don't have to worry about him."

"Is he now your keeper, besides your mate?"

Immediately, Thundercracker regretted his words. And when Alexis pivoted of her left foot and walked quickly away, he knew he went too far. He left his quarters and followed.

"Human... wait." He tried again. "Alexis... I..."

She stopped at the sound of her name but didn't turn around.

Alexis began to speak, her tone soft and reflective. "I remember you calling me by name before. I remember hearing the concern. I... I liked it and I like it now. I just wanted to thank you for saving my life. Thank you for all that you did. I don't remember much after we were attacked, but I do know that I owe you for everything you did."

This time when TC saw his chance, he didn't hesitate. "Do you remember..."

"Remember what?" She turned around to face him. Alexis' head angled on her shoulder as she looked up.

"Do you remember the dreams?"

She answered quickly, eyes diverting to the wall on the left. "Vaguely. Even the most detailed dreams have a way of fading. Starscream told me what you did. I know Ratchet said it ended up doing no good, but I am sure he is wrong. I just wish I remember more."

Thundercracker frowned, both disappointed and relieved. "So you don't recall anything?"

She looked away; her voice twisted with concern. "No. Did I do anything... anything strange?"

Thundercracker thought about the offered kiss, thought of her delicate hands upon his chassis, thought of her standing before him and at the perfect size.

TC shook his head. "I don't remember anything either," the Seeker lied. Suddenly, he felt safe once more, blanketed by the falsehood and assured by her lack of remembrance. Nothing needed to change, everything could stay exactly the same.

Inexplicably, knowing that did not make him feel any better.


	52. Waves

Only a week and a half had gone by since Alexis was released from the medical bay. She spent that time thinking about what occurred and trying to make things straight in her head. Despite what she told Thundercracker, she clearly remembered the dreams she had. However, like dreams could go, they faded away and only some of the things that occurred remained in her memory. What she did in them and how she acted when compared to what she was dealing with now, was absolutely nothing. She had done far more risque things in dreams and seen stranger, wilder and scarier stuff.

She felt miserable.

That was one of the first notions that came to Alexis' mind when she woke. Seeing Mikaela, seeing Sam and even Bee made her heart swell and her eyes fill with liquid. How lonely she was for her friends. She didn't let Starscream know. Ever since she woke their connection was faint. She still got low impressions from his such as emotions, but thoughts were blocked and internal talking was muted.

Sleeping with Starscream later that night as he held her tight to his chassis, his voice going on as he spoke to her, Alexis found more thoughts blocking his voice, strange ponderings swimming in the depths of her over filled brain. As he slipped into recharge, she wiggled loose from his grip and then slid down his leg, taking the steps down to reach the floor.

Alexis was angry, bitter and frustrated. According to Ratchet, Starscream could have prevented what happened. And with his thoughts and memories still prominently floating through Alexis, while they weren't dominating her, they were distracting and worrisome.

Yes, time would make them fade away. But the horror and fear would leave an impression, reminding her every single day that she was with Starscream, what terror he could create and violence he could produce if he was so compelled.

Did she make a mistake? Was it worth all the struggling and pain to stay with him? Did she blind herself and make him more than he was so that she could be with him?

She asked herself those questions repeatedly as a couple more days went by and then a week. But she couldn't let Starscream know, so she hid what she felt, avoiding intimacy when allowed, but letting him have her just to set him at ease. Never before had she made love to him with her mind so shut off and her thoughts so far away. Oddly, she still felt that same hunger for him, that same unquenchable desire, but she wouldn't allow him inside her mind. Alexis wouldn't allow him to feel as she felt, or to know what she knew.

Starscream just put it off as part of her recovery. Alexis, however, knew it was because she didn't want to repeat what occurred. And while the two weren't intimate as they were in the manner that perpetuated her little mind trip, she just knew that Starscream would do it all over again, leaving her scarred even worse while she internally drowned.

He could have prevented it!

That thought wouldn't leave her head, driving everything toward a state of realization that both startled and scared her.

She wanted to go home.

But she couldn't leave him no matter how much she wanted to. Yet now, sitting where she was, Bumblebee speaking of her home planet and all the work that was being done to restore what the Decepticons ruined, she couldn't help but have a fit of melancholy. She missed her parents, missed her old quarters and even missed the Autobots. However, she still couldn't tell Starscream. Alexis was hopeful that the negative dispositions would go away, that her new bitter feelings regarding her husband were only transitory.

"You should see the lakes and rivers, they have been restored and purged of the Decepticon poisons, they are even more clean than they were _before_ the Decepticons arrival."

This was the first time the two had an opportunity to have a conversation. Starscream was adverse to the entire idea of the two being near each other, but as they were now in the throne room with activity and mechs all around and the three Seekers not far away, she decided the risk was worth it. Bumblebee was her friend and despite the foolish things Starscream did after she woke, as he tried to keep her away from others, she understood that she could not let his controlling inclinations pass. Alexis knew that because of her keeping him out of her mind, she was partly the reason Starscream was suddenly more insecure and acting out, but she was becoming tired of his attitude just the same.

"You really do love Earth," Alexis said.

Bumblebee smiled. He leaned against the nearest wall. "Yes, I do. However, soon I hope to come home. Being here on Cyberton again, it gives me hope. And if Optimus can persuade Starscream... I won't be the only Autobots returning."

"Starscream has _agreed_ to this?" She asked, surprise tainting her inflections. There were repercussions to not keeping her link open with Starscream, consequences for shutting him out when he spoke to her.

Again, Bee smiled. "Well, he hasn't said no."

"Mikaela said you were returning to Earth soon..."

"Yes, tomorrow."

She wanted to ask Bumblebee to take her home. However, her thoughts were louder than her ability to speak. She didn't like this confusion that was tearing her part, didn't like the indecisiveness that left her quailing.

* * *

When the humans started to arrive several days later, she was delegated with the task to oversee their arrival. Alexis dreaded the task, but once she started she actually enjoyed it. There were only twenty-seven humans so far, and each one she couldn't help but wonder about their story. She knew why she left home, but what would compel them to?

Windrider stayed with her, standing in a corner as he kept an eye on the proceedings. About an hour into the task, Moonbreaker, the non-affiliated Cybertronian that made chills run down her spine every time he was nearby, showed up with his face twisting and folding into disgust and contempt as he watched the humans below.

She didn't understand his purpose. Supposedly, he was a bounty hunter, which she could easily understand. But why would Starscream willingly take up with someone of his sort, made her once again wonder if she knew Starscream at all. What if she didn't blind herself, but was fooled by Starscream. What if everything they had was based on a lie? What if...

"Alexis?"

Her shoulders rising hard, her neck dipped back. Skywarp came to Alexis.

"Are you done here yet?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Well, it's time you took a break. Come with me." His digit tapped gently against her elbow and led Alexis away.

* * *

"How much longer are you going to be like this?"

"I'm sorry. What did you say?"

Skywarp frowned deeply. "Exactly. Distracted, edgy and depressed, if you didn't look so tantalizing when you become introspective, I would have to do something about. Then again, what do you say? I can take you way for a while. We can have some fun. That is what you are lacking fun!"

"Life isn't all about fun Skywarp, you know that Star..."

He cut in, "Who says it can't be? Life is too short for you to spend it in such a state. Let me have you for a couple of days, and you will be smiling again in no time!"

Instead of giving him an answer she delved toward a different subject that pounced out of her head and traveled as speech through her treacherous lips.

"Have you ever been in a relationship that..."

"Me, a relationship?" He chuckled at that. "Of course. Females are always throwing themselves at me. I can't help but be preoccupied with such things."

Skywarp's buoyant interruption was a warning why Alexis probably didn't want to talk to him about such things. But at the moment, she didn't have anyone she did want to talk to. Yes, she spoke to Mikaela, Sam and Julia on regular intervals, and yes she spoke to her parents. However, be it distance or just the way she felt; she couldn't seem to express her concerns to anyone. And soon, whether she liked it or not, Starscream was going to notice something was wrong.

"I'd go with you if I knew it wouldn't lead to trouble," Alexis finally answered.

Skywarp leaned down, his digit tapping gently on her shoulder. "You make it sound like trouble is expected when going somewhere with me."

"Isn't it?" Alexis frowned.

"Has Starscream been neglecting you in the berth? I know he has been busy but..."

"No, he is his usual _attentive _self," she said. Skywarp did not pick up the mild disdain in her tone.

"You actually... You actually s_poke _about it. You must like me more than ever to speak do me about such things!" His digits wrapped around the railing she was leaning against, one of many of the new perches that had been built so she could be more on their level. "You know anything you ever wanted to say... I mean I know I don't seem the sort... That is... I know you don't trust me like you do your friends but... But if you need to say anything, speak about... _anyone_... I will listen."

Alexis burst into tears from Skywarp's sudden show of sincerity. She expected her display of emotion to frighten the Seeker. But he picked her up and let her lean against one of his digits as she buried her head.

* * *

Finally, working through enough of her contemplations to reach an understanding, Alexis approached Starscream, telling him that she wanted to go home for a little while to see her friends and parents again.

"You just saw your friends. There is no need to leave, I can bring whoever you want here."

"Starscream, that isn't what I want. I want to go home."

"You _are _home."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"How am I to know what you want when you shut me out so completely?" The sudden venom in his tone caught Alexis unaware. "You are driving me _mad_ with this silence. I need to be inside of you. As your mate, I am _meant_ to be inside of you, knowing and hearing your thoughts. You have recovered. You are well. I will not allow you to deny me any longer."

"Deny you? I have denied you _nothing_."

He huffed at that. "Why do you not want me to know you? Why, even when we couple do you keep me out? This fragment of connected perception won't do. Give yourself to me completely, shut me out no longer," he demanded.

Already his digit hovered along her body with his energy dancing across her flesh, whispers of his consciousness tried to ease her into acquiescence.

That was when she pushed him away. Using all her strength to do so, she got his digit from her body. His demanding actions, his aggressive words, they were adding to her conflict, bringing to the surface what she tried to deny.

"Stop touching me! I don't want this! Don't you comprehend? I can't _stand_ you right now!" Alexis shrieked. She never wanted him to know. Never wanted to say such a thing. Hearing the words said out loud was far worse than contemplating them inside her head. Never before did she see such a tragic expression on Starscream's face. She was horrible; she was terrible, and yet she couldn't take back what she said.

His wings dropping, he pulled away. The door to their quarters slid behind him as he left Alexis alone.

* * *

Alexis couldn't stop crying after he left. Hidden under layers of covers, three pillows and a silk sheet that twisted around her body, she sobbed with guilt and self-pity. She knew she loved Starscream, there was never any question of that. She just couldn't stop thinking about how she despised him. Alexis' adversity to her husband made his once bold and strong resolve in his actions, suddenly seem that of a controlling, imperious being who she wanted to get away from.

But was that really her thinking such things, or Starscream's firm impression on her mind having her believe that way?

Through the layers of covers and pillows, the light in the room brightened heavily. First, she believed it was Starscream, who returned, and for whatever reason; her outburst had him coming back aroused and ready to claim her. But something was off. Throwing the covers off her body, her heart hammered when she saw the source of the light. A portal hovered before the foot of her bed, lights swirling in violent motion around the edge of the luminescent opening. Her covers ripped off the bed, sucked into the floating anomaly. She tried to hold onto the bed, her nails digging and fingers tugging, but she was pulled in anyway. Managing to scream out, Alexis disappeared into the light.

* * *

"Wake up."

Alexis heard a voice repeat, this time the words registered. She opened one eye and then the other, adjusting to the bright light as she blinked several times. A man hovering above her was looking at Alexis intently, her head rested against his folded over legs.

"Finally," he said, helping her sit up. Alexis' bewilderment caused her to ignore how his touch lingered longer than necessary. "They said they would bring you to me."

Alexis cringed; a sharp pang in her forehead dug in deep. "Where am I? Do I know you?"

The man smiled, or as her eyes cleared, and she got a better look, a young man. He couldn't have been more than twenty, probably more around seventeen or eighteen.

"Look closely, don't I look familiar?"

She was too busy surveying her surroundings. The grass was a dark purple, the trees a vibrant pink and yellow, and the sky, her hand blocking some of the light from what she saw were not one, but three suns, had her concluding easily enough that she wasn't on Cybertron. She could breathe well enough, although the air seemed a little thin.

"No, you aren't on Earth, nor Cybertron, or anything you could have possibly studied or heard of," the man informed Alexis. "Now, tell me, do you _know_ who I _am_ or _not_?" His tone exuded restlessness and impatience.

Alexis diverted her eyes, taking the young man in. Staring at his dark hair and bright hazel eyes, Alexis found that there was something familiar about him. It took her a moment to figure out who he was despite the obvious age difference.

"No, it can't be you," she whispered with dread.


	53. Motion

Moonbreaker did not have to be on Cybertron long to see Starscream lose the deliberate manner that hid his more talked about disposition of unpredictable mania. The base's alarm sounding, he followed the yelling and sounds of things breaking to a hallway he never traveled before, but knew exactly where it led, Starscream's quarters.

The doors were wide open; sounds of discord ebbed into the hall. Taking the chance he peered into the room. A large table flew past his shoulder plate, one that crashed against the wall behind it, but somehow managed to remain intact.

"Where is she?!"

Thundercracker and Skywarp were there. Skywarp hung back as Thundercracker remained at Starscream's side. The blue seeker spoke; his voice was deliberately calm. "I haven't seen these energy readings before, but there is not doubt that Alexis was taken. By whom is unknown."

Moonbreaker's gaze shifted to the wall that was positioned in front of the Seeker's berth. A wide, burned hole was melted onto the surface of the once impervious metal, smoke still rising from the edges. Some sort of fabric hung limply from the shallow hole, tattered and cut cleanly in half.

"I've seen this technology before," Moonbreaker spoke up. He had no qualms about entering the private quarters, but Skywarp saw differently. Bouncing from the wall he was leaning against, he blocked the mech. "Fine," Moonbreaker said loudly to make sure Starscream heard him, "you don't want to know who took your human, it's all the same to me."

Twisting around he exited. Or was about to when Starscream spoke up, "Wait a moment." He pushed Warp out of the way. His chassis was heaving while his optics burned bright. "Speak, and I warn you that if you are wasting my time it will be the first and _last _time." Starscream's voice was severe, his tone crackling with dark emotions that he didn't bother to hide. The threat was a valid one. Moonbreaker saw it in Starsscream's optics, knew it from the way the Seeker twisted his hands with an expectation for violence.

"It's portal tech: an interdemensional gateway. However, I have only seen one species use this kind of technology that produces such results because of the distance."

"Distance?" the Supreme Seeker inquired with acerbic impatience.

"Wherever the human was taken is not in this solar system. And finding where she was snatched to is not going to be an easy thing, not if the Quintessons are involved."

"Ludicrous!" Starscream raged. "Those creatures fled from Cybertron long ago after the Great Uprising, and have not been seen or heard of since. They are nothing more than a myth, of a history better forgotten."

"A myth perhaps to you, but I have traveled long and far, and have heard enough tellings of these creatures to know that they are as real as you or I."

"Thundercracker?"

Thundercracker narrowed his optics while his calculated attention fell on Moonbreaker. Unnerved enough that a tingle went along his circuits, Moonbreaker stood firm. Thundercracker would not recognize him; he had had too many upgrades and paid too much for the tech that changed his life signature. Still, a part of him cautiously, superstitiously, warned him to limit his contact with that Seeker all the same.

"I have also heard rumors of their return." Thundercracker stated flatly with his optics still latched to Moonbreaker's. "But they are just _that,_ rumors from mechs with too much time."

Starscream turned his attention back on Moonbreaker as his right hand extended. Talons slid from his digits which dug deep into the wall along his right side, traveling down while metal peeled away, deep grooves left behind.

"Do you want to _die_?" Starscream asked, his head tilted to the side as his optics brutally grazed over Moonbreaker's armor, ready and all to enthused about finding a weakness. "Perhaps you are not aware, but in matters concerning my human, I do not tolerate being misled." His inflections lowered in tone, the words turning soft and dangerously methodical. "I can only conclude that you are trying to misdirect me, that you, Moonbreaker, are trying to cover up the truth behind what really happened."

"Why the slag would I care what happened to some..." Breaker paused for a moment. Now was not the time to say what he felt, unless he _did_ want to die. Despite the intolerance he felt, and the contempt he contained, he initiated further caution. Lowering his gaze submissively, he felt the danger he was in, and knew if he didn't bend as the situation called for that he wasn't going to leave the room. Forcing down the rebellion that twisted his servos, he answered free of emotion and with an ease that came from mega-cycles of dealing with scum and reprobates. "...your mate. What I speak is the truth, and I can offer you proof if you give me access to your terminal."

"Let's just end him here." Skywarp advised, a smile stretching along his mouthpiece as he reveled in that thought.

"No, not just yet," Starscream said. He backed away from the mech. Waving his hand; he motioned toward the terminal. "Do as you said, and know that what I see will decide whether I give you to Skywarp, so he can dispose of you in a way I _promise_ will not be quick nor pleasant."

He walked slowly through the Seekers. A cable extended from his wrist guard that found and plugged into the terminal's port. He uploaded what data he had. Starscream shoved him to the side. Skywarp grabbed onto him from behind, a blade folded out from his hand and extended along Breaker's side.

"Let him go," Starscream said many nano-clicks later after he looked over the provided information.

"You can't be serious," Skywarp whined. "He obviously has something..."

"Let him go. Now!" Starscream yelled. He picked up a nearby nero-wrench and threw it at the rebellious Seeker.

Begrudgingly, and with a harsh push of resentment, Skywarp let him go.

Starscream turned to Moonbreaker. "Tell me all you know of these Quintessons and how I can find them."

* * *

Moonbreaker told Starscream what he knew, and when he was shoved out of the room by Skywarp, he knew that what he had told the Supreme Air Commander, would put him in a position of usefulness that none of the Seekers would be able to deny.

Exactly as he intended.

After all, it was he who had planet the mini power module and the homing device that allowed for the long-distance transport to take place. Planting the devices unnoticed wasn't the hard part, getting them inside the Seeker's quarters had been the problem he couldn't seem to get past. Until watching the human designated Alexis, and observing the way her body betrayed with each breath of her body the origins of her creation, an idea sprung. As impenetrable as the Seeker's quarters were, the human created a weakness. The oxygen required for her to continue to live gave him the means to get inside. Even with the ducts cleverly hidden and condensed, he found his access point. Using a mini spider bot that he had specially programmed, he planted the devices three days earlier than the time frame he had been allowed.

He was paid an obscene amount of credits. However, that wasn't why he did it. Using his profession to benefit himself; he knew getting the human out of the way was a good step toward making the overly confident Air Commander vulnerable.

One down and two to go.

* * *

"Windglider said you wanted to speak to me. Why not just come to me directly?" Skywarp walked into the loading bay while sparing an unenthusiastic glance at Moonbreaker's ship before directing his attention on the mech.

Breaker shrugged his large shoulder panels. "I needed to speak to you here where it is safe."

"Safe?"

"My ship is capable of blocking external and internal communications. What I have to say to you is for your receptors only."

Skywarp still didn't show any interest, his stance one of restless boredom. "What could you possibly have to say to me? Do you wish to beg for your life?" He smiled at that before he chuckled knowingly. "Have you figured out that when Starscream is done with you that your life means nothings?"

"Alexis," Breaker uttered the human's name and found the syllables repulsive.

"What did you say?"

"I said: Alexis. I know where the human is."

Skywarp huffed, "That's interesting, considering all the trouble you went to to make Starscream believe she was taken by the..."

Breaker interrupted, he was ready to get things started, "She wasn't taken, she left," he stressed while watching the purple Seeker carefully.

Skywarp's hands wrapped before his cockpit, his attention resting back upon the mech. "What sort of an idiot do you take me for?" he asked, shaking his head with incredulity.

On that particular subject, Moonbreaker was forced to keep his mouthpiece shut.

He spoke slowly while articulating his words dramatically, "I did have something to do with the human's disappearance... I..." The Seeker reacted swiftly. Breaker's words broke up when Skywarp pounced, disappeared and then reappeared right in front of him. Skywarp's hands stretched forth and grabbed Breaker's thick neck-piece before twisting tight. "I knew it!" He bent his head when Breaker tried to speak. "What did you say?" Moonbreaker made a motion with his hand, causing the Seeker to let up his grip just enough so that he could speak.

"I saw her leaving. I was curious and followed," he managed, his words strained. "But she was captured by Soundwave. I believe she was trying to get away to meet you somewhere." Momentarily, Breaker thought he stretched things a little too far.

Until he saw a flicker of belief dance through the Seeker's optics. Making a lie from the truth was always best to twist someone into believing. And using what he overhead when he spied on the two, only helped cement his lies.

"Even if I believe you, why exactly does she need my help? Why not go to Starscream?" Skywarp looked at him with suspicion, but did not seem to wonder why Moonbreaker would even be curious about a human's activities to begin with.

"I believe it was Starscream that she was trying to get away from. And you that she wanted to see."

Moonbreaker's words were enough to boost the already pride filled Seeker's ego.

"Take me to her."

* * *

"Starscream is going to terminate me for leaving like this. He is going to cut me open, tear me apart and extinguish my spark when he finds out. He is going to..."

Ever since their departure the Seeker had not shut up. The more Skywarp had talked, the more he convinced himself that the female needed him. It was deplorable how desperately the Seeker wanted to believe, incredibly humorous and entirely pathetic how the lies blinded him so easily.

"Are we almost there? Are you sure Soundwave has abandoned the area?"

"His purpose was to kill the human; he doesn't need to stay to watch that happen."

Soon enough he initiated landing protocols, the two exited Moonbreaker's craft.

"Follow me, there are traps," Breaker announced with more truth in that statement than there had been in anything he said to the Seeker before.

The planet they landed on was barren and dry. Wind picked up while dust ground against their armor. They headed to the only structure and entered it upon their arrival. Immediately, Skywarp saw the human. Alexis was standing in a cell; she screamed out Skywarp's name when she saw him and struggled against the cage.

Getting into the locked cell did not take the Seeker long. Running inside he reached down for the human, his hands twisting through empty air as the hologram of the human crackled off. The Seeker turned around, ready to escape, but it was far too late. Moonbreaker pressed a small button on his gauntlet, the real security measures activating as triple bars and energy barriers folded into place.

"This was the trap," Skywarp said, his tone calmer and more serious than Moonbreaker had ever heard it. "I suppose that now I am to think how foolish I have been and how clever you are. I should let you know though, this isn't the first time this has happened to me."

Admitting that he had been fooled before only made Moonbreaker balk at the mech's carelessness in both actions and words. Skywarp was far too cavalier and blithe, and those qualities were effortlessly used to bring about his defeat. Battle was not always necessary to bring about an adversary's downfall, and using treachery, deceit and cunning could be more fulfilling than using a fist, blaster, or a finely sharpened blade.

"But," Breaker stepped toward the bars. He was mindful not to lean to closely, or he would active the defensive measures in the security field. "This will be the last time. Consider this place your final dwelling. You will not be leaving here."

"The point?"

Breaker chuckled at that with a rumble that echoed out and around. "Past me not liking you? To get you out of the way of course. You may be the most heedless of your Trine, but you still hold a position of power with Starscream. Taking you away only clears a better path for me."

"I'll get out of here, and when I do I will end you," Skywarp threatened. His body was forced backwards when his digits made contact with the active security field. He cursed, tried touching it again, and cursed louder than before when the energy crackled painfully along his cockpit. Bending downwards as it continued to course through his armor, the colorful phrases of retribution continued to jump out of the Seeker's mouthpiece.

Moonbreaker could only shake his head at the Seeker's stupidity. "You are welcome to try. Consider it something to take up your time while your energon dries up and your circuits corrode. I apologize for not leaving you with any company, but I am fresh out of willing human females."

Skywarp's curses became more vulgar. The colorful, creative language fueled Breaker's steps as he made his way to the exit.

Two down and one to go.

* * *

Watching the chaos that followed after Skywarp's disappearance was discovered gave Moonbreaker distinct gratification. He could have used Soundwave's army for his retribution, but that was far too obvious. He enjoyed watching the Seekers come apart at their seams and seeing their arrogance slip away bit by bit as worry and anxiety took its place.

He also didn't trust Soundwave. Once the tactician discovered his true parental units, Soundwave's assistance would be revoked with Breaker's termination imminent. He wasn't Megatron's progeny, no matter what the mech thought. But how he came to that conclusion was a curiosity that he wanted to discover, which is why he didn't take out the tactician the moment he pledged himself.

Moonbreaker continued with his lies. And kept twisting the truth into colorful falsehoods until the Seekers believed him more and more.

"The Quintessons have been taking terminated mechs. They have been using deployed drones, but those who have seen even those will testify that their markings are of their origin."

"Taking off-lined mechs is one thing, why would they want Alexis?"

Truthfully, Moonbreaker didn't know, but that wasn't going to stop him from spinning doubt and paranoia into the Air Commander's processor.

"She is the first human to mate with a Cybertronian." Breaker said, letting his words hang ominously in the air.

Conflict battled along Starscream's face. Catching Moonbreaker's gaze, the emotion died quickly, replaced by forced confidence.

"And what of Skywarp?" Starscream asked.

"It is curious that the two disappeared at almost the same time, isn't it?" Moonbreaker let the words hover. He studied the Supreme Air Commander, mindful of his response.

Starscream stretched up and stood more firm. "Are you now implying that they left together? What of the Quitinsons?"

"It was just a stray thought, my lord."

"You would do well to remember to filter such thoughts. I may need you to help me find Alexis and Skywarp, but you are not the only bounty hunter available with useful tracking skills, and you can be replaced."

Still, Breaker was learning just how far he could push the Seeker; it was something he enjoyed, but the learning process put him in a precarious position. "I spoke out of turn."

"Yes, you _did_. Now, begin again. Tell me what you know, what you have heard, and what we are going to need to track these creatures," he heatedly demanded.

Hiding a victorious sneer, he activated his portable terminal. A projection grew between the two as he directed the Seeker. Moonbreaker knew as he spoke, that Starscream would not be seeing the human again until he wanted him to. Not that he knew where she was, but he could find out. Of course, there was no need if the Quintessons had already dissected the human. Either way, Breaker would use the distraction and put it to good use. Confident in the way things were going, Breaker directed Starscream's attention to some newly obtained maps.


	54. Challenge

It was instinct more than logical thought that made Alexis run. He couldn't be who she thought; her mind was playing tricks on her. Disconcerted and somewhat filled with panic, she let her emotions rule her as she sprinted through the strange undergrowth while dodging the complex shaped plants that looked like twisted bushy trees. The farther she ran, the more her eyes took in the colors of the landscape, such a plethora of saturated tones that she couldn't help but feel amazement. Feet out of steam, her body stopped as she halted before the edge of a cliff. The panoramic view of the vibrantly colored world filled her with wonder of the unknown.

Her small sprint left her chest heaving and sweat building. The suns above pushed fiercely upon her body, the fabric of Alexis' attire now warm and heated. Below, water churned and twisted through a gorge, so far the liquid was the only thing she had seen that was the appropriate color. However, the water was strikingly clear. Breathing deep she inhaled the scent of the fresh liquids, the smell made her think of her aunt who used to make her own beeswax candles.

Now recovered from her quick run, the suns once again were felt. The heat of the world was intense, clear of humidity but relentless in its bright warmth. She would have a sunburn in no time. Alexis covered her eyes with her hand and peered at the three dominating orbs of heat in the yellow and orange sky.

Turning around, she gasped. The man had followed her and was now standing only a couple of feet away. He was looking at her with his head tilted on his shoulder while his hands twisted together as his shoulders lifted heavily.

"I almost forgot how seductive your presence is," he said softly, his eyes traveling up her body to land on her waiting eyes. He took a step forward, and she took one back. "You've changed, Alexis, if possible you have become even more appealing."

He took another step. Alexis mimicked his but again took it away from him.

"Stay back, I don't know who you are but come any closer, and I will defend myself." Proving her words, she parted her legs and pulled one back, taking a defensive position with her hands rising before her chest.

The man smiled, a deceptively simple expression that held calculated consideration.

"You know _exactly_ who I am," he said, his tone contemplative and expressive.

Backing further away, and getting from the edge of the small cliff, she kept her gaze on the man. Alexis' chest tightening, her heart taking off in a rather quick pace and the way her breath stuck in her throat with her fingers curling relentlessly; she knew that feeling. Still, she denied it.

"Barricade is dead," she said. But somehow the words seemed hollow and unsure. She didn't know all the details surrounding the Decepticon's fate, but Skywarp had told her in very clear terms that the hunter would never bother anyone ever again.

"Yes, I did die. But the Quintessons took me and revived me, and now I am as you see me." This time he remained where he was.

Alexis bent down and picked up a branch, it was heavier than she had predicted, onyx in color and velvety in feel. "A human? You must wish that you were dead," Alexis uttered, remembering Barricade's disgust for her kind and the vile things he said about humanity. It wasn't an admission of belief of who he was, nearly a method to keep the man talking as she prepared herself for a physical confrontation.

His brows scrunched up at that before his mouth curved upwards with her ability to identify such a truth. He shook his head. "Yes, death would have been preferred than waking in this fleshy, confining, fragile form."

He lunged, making a move to grab her arm; Alexis pushed back, narrowly missing his touch. Hands twisting around the wood, she swiped it forward. Missing, she released her right hand from the stick, straightened her fingers out and jabbed him the side. Again, he made a move to grab her. This time as he came forward, her aim was better. The bark connected with his knee before Alexis thrust it up and under his chin. He blocked her next thrust, grabbed the wooden stick when she made a move to hit him again and twisted it forcefully from her hands.

"You do like to hurt me, don't you?" he asked, his tone tainted with admiration that not so subtly mocked her.

The more he spoke the more she heard Barricade in him. Reversing away, she looked him over. His once tan pants were tattered at the edges, filled with stains of what looked like blood and dirt and other things she didn't want to identify. His shirt that was covered in what looked like leafy vegetation, didn't look any better, and his feet were dressed in strange-looking wrappings while his exposed flesh and arms had a thin layered substance that gleamed on top of his skin. Physically though, he still appeared far too young to be the Barricade she knew. And the youth to his form held an innocence of nature that conflicted with what her brain was trying to tell her. But focusing on him, truly looking at him, she saw and recognized someone she never wanted to see again.

He interrupted her thoughts as he continued to speak, his words haughty and presumptuous, "But as fun as our little fray has been, you will come with me. Now that you are here, the Quints will soon lower the defense shield which means we don't have much time."

Alexis shook her head, confused by what he said, but certain of one thing. "I am not going anywhere with you. I don't know how you brought me here, and I don't care what the purpose behind it is, just send me home."

"Home meaning Earth, or home meaning with that _Seeker_?" he asked with derision. So he knew Starscream was alive, which meant someone was keeping him informed. His hand clasped the branch firmly before he threw it behind his shoulders. Alexis watched as the stick rolled before teetering over the edge. Her lack of an answer had him speaking with more obvious enthusiasm, "Let me make this _clear_ enough for you to understand. Your presence here means the challenge has been initiated. Soon, this area won't be safe or protected. You will come with me now and do exactly as I say, or you will die. Do you understand?"

While he spoke her eyes shifted along his body, identifying a familiar glimmer. She stepped forward and moved closer. The man stiffened, mindful of her nearness. Alexis slowly placed a hand on his shoulder; his body twitched, and his muscles tensed. Forcing her fingers to move, she traced his shoulder down to his arm and then along the middle of his stomach to the right of his hip. His breath hitched, the loathsome nearness making his body odor assault her senses. His eyes followed her movements before his attention flashed back to her eyes with surprise. She was right. Her hand twisting and pulling the handmade dagger out; she had it aimed at his belly before he realized what she was doing. She didn't know when the certainty came of who he was. Whether it was the way he had watched her, or some other give that Alexis unconsciously recognized. But at the moment with the small blade aimed at his midsection, she knew as his surprise melted into an appreciative sneer, his arrogance alighting as he chuckled, that the young man who stood before her _was_ Barricade.

Which was odd since she could not sense him. Even when he was a holo-form he had that familiar, unsettling signature that always made her go on the defensive. Now, she felt nothing. There was nothing Cybertronian anywhere nearby, or perhaps those abilities were being hindered.

Barricade's mistake was when he took a step forward. Just as the instinct of flight had overtaken her before, this time, she felt the need to defend herself. Before she could fully come to terms with what she was doing, she swiped the blade. The sharp edge of the jagged metal caught his flesh and cut through his pants while leaving a large gash in his leg as liquid red escaped.

He cursed. The sight of the gushing blood and the gruff Cybertronian speech that left his mouth had her dropping the blade. The familiar inflections of Barricade's rage tainted the thin atmosphere.

Instead of reacting to the wound she inflicted, he used her sudden proximity and bafflement to grab hold of her, his hand twisting and gripping firm to her own. Bending down he reached for the blade, wiped it off and put it back on his hip. He then began to drag her away, his quick steps hindered by a small but perceivable limp.

* * *

"Where is our daughter?"

Starscream looked down at the parental units of his mate. He was still unsure how they had gotten on Cybertron, but they were prepared. Both wore small modules along their necks to help ready them for the environment of the planet and bags rested beside their feet.

Starscream knew that fate and timing were cruel. Only two days had gone by since Alexis was taken, and Skywarp disappeared. He was unsettled, moody, tense and without Alexis' presence there to calm him, the arrival of her parents grated along his circuits, intolerance shifting and settling along his servos. After their initial question they stood there, the mother gaping, the father with wide eyes, both looking up at the two Seekers daunted with a glimmer of fear. It was the first time they officially met his Cybertronian self or even saw Thundercracker. However, their unannounced intrusion upon his world did not allow him to feel any sort of sympathy for the pair. They may have been the creators of his human, but that did not endow them with the right to storm his sanctuary and interrogate him. He was in no mood for them. The longer he granted them an audience; the more time went by that he could have spent trying to find Alexis and wingmate.

"I don't know how you came to be here, but you can leave the same way." His optics wandered around the throne room, looking for a mech to blame, but he found none.

"We came to see our daughter," the mother spoke up, the uneasiness she had initially projected died up as she took a couple of firm steps forward, stopping short of the first large step that led up to his throne chair. "And we are not leaving until we do," she added. She peered at him through her glasses, the reflection from the overhead lights caused her eyes to glitter and shine. Her mate came to stand beside her with his hand resting on her shoulder.

Donald spoke, addressing Starscream as his words echoed around the vast chamber. "We have not seen Alexandra in months, have not heard from her in well over a week. But we know enough of our daughter to sense when something is wrong."

Starscream really didn't have time for this; he should have never given them permission to land. Should have made the shuttle turn around and return them back to Earth. The Autobots no doubt had assisted the humans' arrival. The 'Bots were taking far too many liberties since he had borrowed their medic. However, he hadn't found the time to deliberate the Autobots position on Cybertron, or if they even had one. And despite what Moonbreaker said, Starscream was still convinced that Soundwave was behind all the recent disappearances. Never with the ability to trust many, he most certainly didn't trust the guile mech; he even had suspicions of the bounty hunter. And that feeling he had upon the mech's arrival, a strange jumble of wariness and the impression of being threatened, only magnified when Alexis and Skywarp went missing. One way or another, he would figure out what Moonbreaker was up to, if not directly, then indirectly and very soon. And if Moonnbreaker had anything to do with Alexis or Skywarp or ended up in any way associated with Soundwave, what he would do to the mech would make his involvement in the annihilation of Enricy and its inhabitants, appear as an errand of mercy.

"Alexis is not here," TC said from beside Starscream.

Slag. Internally, Starscream berated Thundercracker. He never gave his trinemate permission to speak, and now with those words said he knew there would be no getting rid of them. By Primus, as if he wasn't dealing with enough. Suddenly, with the way the parents tensed and their mouths opened with more questions that sprung forth and collided against one another, Starscream almost wished that Soundwave was attacking. It would have been far preferable to the uncomfortable feeling that had lodged itself in his matrix since the arrival of Alexis' parents.

What was he to do with them? He couldn't put them with the rest of the humans, because despite what he felt and thought, they were still Alexis' creators.

Thundercracker sensed his agitation. Opening their internal link, he spoke, "_Want me to handle them?_"

Astounded by the offer, Starscream shook his head with affirmation. "_Whatever you do, don't shoot them. They belong to Alexis_."

"_Yes, I see Alexis in them," _Thundercracker remarked.

"_Well, take them away. Tell them what you must to have them leave, but make sure you do make them leave. Tell them we are due to be attacked, that their lives are in danger while they remain here, that..."_

"_If I told them that they would be even more displeased with you, knowing their daughter is living under such conditions."_

"_That is none of their concern."_

Thundercracker glanced down at the suddenly silent pair, both who were watching the two Seekers with impatient interest.

"_I think they would believe otherwise."_

* * *

"Would you let go of my hand!"

"No."

She tugged on Barricade's insistent grip while trying to break away yet again. He stopped, pulled her closer and leaned in.

"Stop this. I will let you go, but if you run I will follow. And if you think me holding your hand is uncomfortable, what I do to you when I catch you, will be... _unpleasant._"

Jerking out of his hold, she pushed him away. He watched her. Alexis twisted around and took in the area. Yes, she wanted to run. Not exactly out of fear, but because she wanted to get away. Wanted to be alone, by herself and far away from him. But she didn't know where to go, and since her arrival, but now becoming increasingly more noticeable, she was easily winded. The small trek they just took was already equal to as if she had run for several miles. She was going to have to stay with him for now. At least until she figured out what was going on, and how to get off the planet. However, she didn't want to be tied to him no matter what the circumstance.

Unnerved when she saw Barricade smile, Alexis knew that he knew she had concluded to stay. Her eyes drifted down to the gash she gave him; the wound was no longer bleeding, but the cut looked gruesome. She didn't regret what she did, and knew when she had acted that she held back. But she wouldn't if he threatened her again. And even if she had not thought of him for some time, the remembrance that she had wanted him dead, easily filled her mind. He had been involved in what happened to Starscream and tried to force himself on her. The anger Alexis had long buried and came to terms with ripped away at her reasoning and forgiveness she thought she had finally achieved. If he tried anything or did anything, she would respond to his threat, kill him if she had to. Uneasy at that revelation, but firm on carrying it out, she warily followed after Barricade when he began to walk again.

"Look," Alexis spoke up, "the least you can do is tell me why I am here and what is going on."

Barricade stopped. Eyeing her as his gaze devoured her, Alexis lifted her chin and stared right back.

"Yes, you have changed," he said with eerie delight. "You make me want to continue where we left off... with you on top of me and with that mouth of yours moving down my..."

Despite not knowing what he was talking about, but definitely not liking the salacious nature of his words, she slapped him. Immediately after he caught her hand and tugged on it. He tried to pull her forward, but Alexis resisted.

"You don't remember do you?" Barricade questioned of her, his words filled with emotional intensity.

"There is nothing to remember," she let him know.

He seemed to think about that while his mouth tugged into a straight line.

"You have indeed grown more violent," he praised with familiar words that made a chill race up her spinal cord. He wiped off the corner of his mouth; blood smeared against the back of his palm. "Was it Starscream, who brought this side out of you, or is it just me?"

"Don't let go of my hand, and you will soon find out," she threatened. She hated his touch, hated his skin, hated his gaze and hated the way he felt. No matter what form he was in, he would always repulse her.

He dropped her hand.

"As much as I would like to pursue this aggression with you, you have distracted me long enough. However, you would do well to keep in mind that I will not always act so magnanimously toward your violent inclinations of physical harm."

"Then don't speak to me, don't touch me, and get me off this planet," she spat out, her words aggressive with her emotions high. Barricade had always brought the worst out of her. She needed to calm down and stop letting him gain control of her emotions as he took them for a dark turn. Trying to calm herself, she counted to twenty slowly, enunciating the digits in her head as she tried to work beyond the fretfulness.

He considered her words before shaking his head. "You don't seem to realize that I am stuck on this planet as much as you. And the only way we are going to get off it is if we work together."

"Oh my God," Alexis blanched from the obvious truth in his words. "Then I might never see home again."

Barricade smiled and the more he did such a thing, the more disconcerted Alexis felt. "That could very well be a possibility, but at least... at least..." His words died away. But she understood what he was getting at by the way his eyes hovered with jubilation on her form. That possible outcome was more ominous without him uttering the feasibility out loud. "Now come, the suns are due to set, and you are not prepared for such a condition." He sensed her reluctance. "I cannot harm you, human. And if you recall it was _you_ who attacked _me_." Barricade motioned toward his cut up leg. "You are safer with me than the elements and the indigenous beasts."

Huffing, her mouth pressed tightly together; she thought of seeing her home again, but it wasn't Cybertron she thought of but Earth. Even with what was going on, the abrupt separation from Starscream did not upset her as it should have. Disturbed by that realization, but now motivated enough to move, Alexis walked alongside Barricade, glancing at him sideways here and there to make sure he didn't touch her again.

He didn't. With his gaze locked forward, he led them away.


	55. Past

Curiosity was never something Thundercracker was particularly prone to. Skywarp was more familiar with the idle activity, but when he met Alexis, her curious nature bypassed even his wingmate's. Her curiosity wasn't willfully intrusive like Skywarp's, but more a gentle inquiry that made her eyes shine when she figured out something new.

Leading Alexis' parents away from Starscream, they slowly walked before him, noticing the signs that Alexis had created and placed on the wall, indications of where certain rooms were. TC knew she had gotten lost several times on his own station, and she wasn't willing for that to happen while on Cybertron. Even when she adapted to the even larger complex they were now on, she kept the markers hanging. Perhaps just leaving another reminder that a human was there, or because the familiarity of the English text eased her acclimation to the alien structure.

He showed the two around, intrigued by the couple that had created Alexis. They enjoyed Alexis' garden the most, taking pride in their daughter's work. It wasn't the first time Thundercracker had been in her organic bay, but it was the first time he lingered. Alexis was very particular about who entered her sanctuary, and more than a few mechs had been disciplined for trying. Her security guard dismissed now that she was surrounded by the Seekers; some of Decepticons took that as an indication of some vague permission of being allowed to enter the human's private rooms. That quickly proven wrong when Starscream installed invasive security measures that had more than a few 'Cons ending in the medical bay. The unspoken but violent threat was not discounted.

His gaze wandering along the organic area; he saw that what was mostly growing there were vegetation and consumables. His optics sweeping further, he found a little patch of earth with just planted seedlings, small sprouts peeking from the dirt with tiny patches of leaves. He identified the seedlings as Helianthus annuus, experiencing rather stranger euphoria when he realized he knew even more about what it was and what it meant to Alexis. He had flashes of a vision of her as a child, growing the plant as it towered over her small body. It was a personification of summer and heat, of the feeling of life and creation. Still, memories lingered from Thundercracker linking with Alexis, patches of remembrances popping up when he least expected, arresting his attention as it drew his processor along the path of her emotions and past.

Given reluctant permission by Starscream, he took the two to Alexis' and Starscream's room. He was given strict instructions not to let them touch anything. Warned that he would be punished if their presence was felt by the time Starscream returned to his quarters. But Thundercracker knew well enough that Starscream had not recharged in the quarters since Alexis had been taken.

The couple asked questions, wanting to know about their daughter. But they were waylaid as he told them that was up to Starscream to inform them. Fortunately, the hole that had been created in the wall when Alexis was taken was now covered up and repaired. While he would have been able to explain it somehow, it was a task that he didn't desire.

The two were very interested in their daughter's things. Thundercracker allowed Alexis' compartment to fold out, and the mother was now going through Alexis' wardrobe. She softly touched the clothes and rearranged the shoes. It seemed very intimate watching Gloria shift through Alexis' apparel. He noticed articles that he did not recognize, but did identify the first skirt he had ever seen Alexis wear. Every time she took a step the green fabric would peel away and expose a soft patch of her lower thigh along with more fabric. When Alexis had caught Skywarp staring with befuddlement, she explained that it was a skort, not a skirt. Not understanding the distinction, she tried to explain further, but to no avail. A skirt or a skort, it had shown more of the human's flesh than she usually allowed, and caused optics to linger. Whether a human or a femme, she was unmistakably female. And with her scent and signature, the small female did not go unnoticed on an all mech filled base. The prevalent fact that she was the mated of Starscream was the perimeter that kept the mechs in place.

"My daughter talks about you, Thundercracker. She is quite fond of you."

Thundercracker shook his head, ignoring the distinctive tingling in his energon. "You are mistaken. I believe you mean Skywarp."

"No," she shook her head while sitting down on the edge of Alexis' bed. "You are Thundercracker, I can tell by her description of you." Gloria didn't illuminate what kind of description, which shouldn't have disappointed, but did. "She also said that you saved her life several times. We owe you our thanks for that. Not even being on the same planet as our daughter has been trying for her father and me. And not being there for her when she is in pain or hurting..." her voice wandered off. "We are just glad she had someone she can depend on, someone she can trust." She repositioned her glasses and frowned hard. The softness of her tone hardened slightly. "Now, please tell me what happened to our daughter."

Stiffening, not expecting such confrontation from what he thought was a very docile human, he angled his head for a better view of the female. "Why do you assume something has happened to her?"

"Starscream could not get rid of us quickly enough; we may not know him well, but we know enough that our presence unsettled him," Donald said, showing signs of perception that his daughter must have genetically inherited. "We just want to know if Alexis is safe."

"That I do not know," TC said. He felt no need for dishonesty, but had not meant for his vocals to warble with afflicted brutality. Shuffling the emotional response away, he spoke more evenly. "You will need to direct your inquires to the proper source."

"No, tell us now. Tell us where Alexis is!"

"She was taken," Starscream barged into the quarters; Gloria bounded off the bed in surprise, her mate coming to her side. "By whom, I do not know, where, I cannot tell you. All I can say is that I ___will _get her back."

The couple exchanged glances, and despite the sudden shaking in the female's hands, Gloria braced herself with a firm resolve of strength. "Tell us what we can do."

Unaffected by their concern, Starscream easily replied, "You can leave."

* * *

The planet Thundercracker was forced to travel to took longer than he had anticipated. Even with his nitro-boosters, the journey was a long one. Warp gates unavailable in the sector and no maps charted along the path; he was forced to follow random data he had been provided with until he was forced to search blindly on his own. His upgraded sensory equipment slowly provided a route he followed.

He would give the mech credit; the planet did prove difficult to find. And when he finally found the dark orb, he was greeted by a planetary security field that denied access. If he hadn't been careful with his stealth equipment, he would have alerted the owner of his presence. Prepared for such security measures, he bypassed them by creating a small gap in the field. One that was just big enough for him to enter, but small enough not to alert anyone or initiate any defensive protocols.

Entering the only structure on the planet, he found an empty cell inside. Five nano-clicks later he found who he was looking for.

"Took you long enough," Skywarp complained. Landing, he bounded into the small room.

Thundercracker merely shrugged. "That's what you get for allowing your signal to be masked."

Skywarp scoffed at that, never willing to accept any form of blame. "As if I had a choice. That mech thinks things through almost as well as you do. So, I take it by your presence here that Starscream knows?"

"Yes."

"Figures, wait..." Skywarp tilted his head to the left while his mouth pinched tight, "he knows... ___everything_?"

Thundercracker nodded his head, a stilted motion that communicated a form of failure. "I was wrong, Warp. Moonbreaker is not who I thought he was."

And it was worse than that. The fury that erupted from his wingmate when he informed Starscream of his past actions was unexpectedly brutal. He couldn't stop Starscream when he found himself hit, kicked and beaten and then shoved down on the floor before Screamer threatened him with an extended blade.

"Of all mechs, I expected more from you, Thundercracker. You kept this from me all these mega-cycles, and not once did you think it was of any importance?" His hands shook with barely quelled fury while his optics heated and burned. "Leave me, leave me before I ___finish__ y_ou."

When Starscream discarded Jemshine, throwing the femme at Thundercracker, she had been carrying a sparkling. Thundercracker said nothing. During that time, Starscream had been under severe pressure by Megatron, and he was unsure how his increasingly unstable wingmate would have reacted. His protocols kicked in as he protected the femme, even as he did everything he could to try to get Starscream to show interest in Jemshine again. Creating lies after lie, he bragged about how he found pleasure with the female, making sure Starscream was around when he did. But none of the tactics he deployed worked.

But that didn't stop Jemshine from trying to return to Starscream. She was obsessed with getting back with the Seeker and determined to bring him around. Her actions put Thundercracker in increasingly dangerous positions, until her determination brought about her death by the very mech she coveted. Which left Thundercracker with twisted untruths and a very young sparkling to attend to. He cared for the youngling as best as he could. But his duties became consuming when war spread further, and hiding the sparkling became increasingly difficult. When he was told by the providers he had placed the youngling with that he had been off-lined, Thundercracker accepted it a little more readily than he should have. And when they too ended up dead not long after that, he never questioned the coincidence, he didn't have the time to.

It may have taken a while to place Moonbreaker, but once he figured out that he was the sparkling he had hidden away and tried to protect; he had no more room for coincidences. He had never been given the chance to test the youngling for his parental unit's signatures because his spark was still undeveloped at that stage. But he did not deny the chance any longer. He had to promise Knock Out an upgraded medical bay, and his own ship in order to get the medic to act for him, but it had been worth it in the end. The results, however, were not what he had expected. And he had to take precautionary actions with the medic so that the scandalous data was not found out. Hopefully, it would take a while for anyone to notice that the medic was missing.

"Is he of our line, or not?" Skywarp asked.

Thundercracker shook his head; his voice lowered with a rarity of dread. "He is not. He is Megatron's."

"What the slag?" Skywarp responded, his tone becoming marked with open, very misplaced excitement. "Wait a minute, that would mean that Jemshine, that Megatron, that the two... and while she was with Starscream." Skywarp's mouthpiece became stuck open. "But Moonbreaker believes Starscream is his maker, so, what is he going to think when he finds out that Starscream killed both of his creators?"

Thundercracker shot Skywarp a look of pure disbelief from such an inane question. "He has the energon of Megatron coursing through his circuits, how do you think he will respond?"

"Frag." Skywarp stepped back, circled around and twisted back toward Thundercracker. His unsuppressed energy flowed forward and around. "We have to get back; we have to take care of Moonbreaker and..."

"Correction," TC interrupted. "_I_ have to get back. Starscream wants you to stay here."

Skywarp chuckled nervously at that, a couple of steps taken forward to solidify a show of firm resolve. He was not ready to believe what TC just said. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm going with you."

Thundercracker pushed Warp back. "No, you're not. Screamer thinks you would screw things up if I let you out now. You are to wait until we are ready."

"Here?" Skywarp's vocals pitched with sudden concern. "Have you taken a look around this pithole? I have seen more activity in a mug of energon!"

"Need I remind you that you allowed Moonbreaker to capture you?"

"Yeah, but for all of two hours. You should have seen me make quick work of his security measures. As if he could keep me locked up in that cell." He pointed toward the now bent cage, proud of himself. Most mechs were not aware of Skywarp's intelligence factor, another trait that the Seeker chose to keep hidden while happy in his projected paradox of self.

"He seems to have you stuck on this planet pretty well though," Thundercracker observed.

Optics narrowing, Skywarp spoke carefully, "But that's why _you_ are here. That's why..."

"No, Warp. Be glad you had the processor enough to alert me when Moonbreaker took you off Cybertron. If I hadn't been able to track you part of the way, you would have been slagged. And with the way Starscream feels about us both right now, if we screw up anything further, especially where Alexis is involved..." he let his words hang.

Skywarp was looking at him with dangerous interest. His head tilted to the side; a twisted smile stretched along the corner of his mouthpiece. "You know, you say her name a lot more freely than you used to, I mean ever since you went inside her..._head_, you have been... well..."

TC cut his observations off, "Let's not go there again," he said. "I'm leaving. I have left you a pod with some things you are to look over along with some provisions; I will return for you in due time."

Thundercracker began to walk away. Skywarp scurried along with him while complaining bitterly, "Just like that, you are going to leave me, I... this _isn't f_air!"

"I'll be back soon." TC took off, relieved when Warp didn't follow. He opened their link, allowing a small chuckle. "_Until then, I recommend staying out of trouble. See if you can manage that on a planet that you are the only occupant._"

Skywarp groused, "_Why do bad things always happen to me when you find your sense of humor_?"

* * *

Starscream only talked to Thundercracker when he was forced to. Diluting their link, he made sure that his ire was known, back-lashings of hatred and animosity coming through their bond at regular intervals. TC knew he was deserving, but that didn't stop him from trying to block some of it. His processor was heating from the strain.

Over three weeks had gone by since Alexis went missing. Starscream was beyond temperamental now. It was obvious he wasn't getting enough recharge time, obvious that he wasn't doing much of anything but obsessing and searching and trying to locate his mate.

While he kept TC informed of what he had planned, he did not talk it over like he used to. Only directed his actions as they prepared for potential attack and implemented search measures. Fortunately, Thundercracker was able to convince Alexis' parents to return to Earth. And the only way he had managed that was to promise to inform them of everything involving the search for their daughter. He sent them nightly reports, just putting it down as another task. Starscream became livid when he found out. Not because of what TC was doing, but because he felt it was his duty to communicate with the two, and that Thundercracker was once again meddling in his affairs.

TC was having a hard time keeping up with Starscream's changing moods and reversals. He showed no interest corresponding with the two until TC took it upon himself to do so. And when the parents had been on Cybertron, Starscream made no effort to interact.

Thundercracker had seen such tempestuous mood swings in the past, and had thought they were to stay there. Seeing them again only made his circuits fizzle as once more he had to tread carefully in everything he did with the Supreme Seeker. As if he had just been initiated into his Trine during that disagreeable misunderstanding that followed when Starscream thought Megatron wanted Thundercracker to replace him.

And TC knew how long it took to convince the Seeker otherwise. But there was nothing he could think of to regain Starscream's trust this time, no war to prove his loyalty. And with the way Starscream was acting, he didn't think he would even notice or care. He was in for a trial with Starscream, animosity from his past actions leading to untimely complications.

The base was empty. Filled more than before and yet devoid of life. More and more he found himself observing the humans that now roamed their compound. The Seeker purposely wandered on their side as he found excuses to take him there. He figured out some time after that he was searching for her. An absurdity that he couldn't get past as he fitfully tried to force himself into recharge after returning to his quarters.

It never happened though, and he stayed on-line the entire cycle while he lay there prone on his recharge berth, rarity of imagination taking off as he suddenly thought the worst. Just the thought of some ill fate occurring to the human was enough to unsettle him. Forgoing his designated recharge time, he left his quarters. He walked until he led himself to the last place he saw Alexis. His digits curling around the railing of the platform Starscream built for her, Thundercracker cursed his instability. But that didn't stop him from filtering air into his intakes, from allowing his olfactory sensors to separate the smells as he allowed one to remain: the lingering scent of Alexis.


	56. Confrontation

"What exactly do you think you are looking at?" Moonbreaker inquired with evident hostility.

The small human male's mouth fell open, a step taken back even as he remained where he had been. The boy had stared at Breaker for some time now. At first, he tolerated it just to see how long the child could keep it up. When he figured out the answer was indefinitely; his toleration level bottomed out. He was not some curiosity to be stared at.

"I'm sorry," a female spoke while rushing up to the boy before she grabbed his arm. "My brother has never seen one of you robots. Not so up close anyway."

Moonbreaker only heard one word, a term that could be considered demeaning if one allowed. And Breaker allowed.

"_Robot_? Who do you think you are calling a robot, _human_? I am an Autonomous Robotic Organism. There is a _distinct _difference. I am not some mindless drone idly put together by some bored scientist."

"I... I..." The girl gulped, grabbed harder to her brother's arm and dragged him away.

"Why do you keep seeking the humans out?" A voice asked from behind him.

"They are loud, dirty, violent and arrogant creatures that deserved to be exterminated, not kept as pets."

"And yet you keep observing them... closely."

"They are somewhat entertaining. All the insignificant things they do and the tasks they perform just to remain functioning. The confrontations they seek and the groups they form, all without reason or logic."

"So, that is why you hover in their area, to amuse yourself?"

Huffing, Moonbreaker turned to Thundercracker. Every time he was around the Seeker; he felt an air of disturbance, an unsettling feeling that made his energon speed up and crash sharply through open circuit junctures.

"I am not the only one that comes here," Breaker added pointedly. He had seen Thundercracker in the human's area before. Usually just passing through, but there were routes he could have taken to avoid the area.

Thundercracker frowned deeply. "Now that Alexis is gone; I have been tasked with the duty of organizing the humans. An unfortunate duty that I am in no position to deny. As soon as Windglider and Foresight get caught up in human protocols and needs, they will take over for me."

"Exactly why are they here?"

"And why exactly do you want to know?"

"I don't, not really."

Thundercracker's brow ridge lifted up and his arms lightly crossed before his cockpit. "Then I suggest you leave this area and leave the humans alone. You are making my task a more difficult by frightening them."

"I have done nothing."

Thundercracker shifted minutely. His head angled to the side as he studied Breaker. "You have done enough. Now leave, and don't bother to return to this section. If I hear that you have, I will not be satisfied."

"A Decepticon, a member of the Elite Trine, defending humans? I don't know if I should feel sorry for you or feel sickened by your actions," Moonbreaker said gruffly.

Thundercracker responded, his vocals cool and free of concern. "Feel however you need to. It makes no difference to me."

* * *

Moonbreaker would have felt suspicious when Starscream started to deny him an audience and began to disregard his advice, but seeing as how Thundercracker was getting the same treatment; he knew that it was just the Supreme Air Commander being temperamental. And that his own actions of dividing the Seekers and taking away the human was creating more of a gap between them than he could have hoped for.

But as he saw Thundercracker mistreated and shuffled to petty tasks and demeaning duties by Starscream; he couldn't help but feel riled, even as the blue Seeker took it all in stride with no emotional disturbance betraying what should have been a deep growing grudge.

He already had plenty of opportunities to dispense of Thundercracker, but kept creating excuses. While the Seeker made him uneasy, there was also an evident connection that Breaker could not deny. His earliest memories were of Thundercracker and how he looked after him and tried to protect him. He couldn't remember why they were finally separated. But he did remember that Thundercracker stopped visiting him. He left Moonbreaker with a surrogate unit of providers until he was picked up by a mysterious mech, only to be left on the planet Aldorioum. Breaker was then forced to fend for himself at an age when he was still unaware of so many things, including right and wrong and good and evil. But by the time he off-lined his first mech, an act of self-defense but an end result that left him curiously unaffected even at such a young cycle, that one action would push him forward and beyond into further acts of violence until he caught the eye of a local bounty hunter, one that took him under his servo as he taught him everything he knew.

Breaker didn't question the mysterious transmissions that started to come to him by the time he was upgraded to a fully weaponized mech. But by then he was used to getting strange messages from equally strange sources. He was told very clearly what had happened to the femme that brought him to term. A femme that he still had the capability of recalling, one who treated him with indifference, but still had moments of affection for him. Given a piece of his past, he suddenly had a purpose and a goal. Something that was personal to him, something bigger than what he had been aggressively trying to accomplish before.

He would end Starscream and anyone that tried to stop him.

When his master learned of his desire to leave, the confrontation that followed had him as the last mech standing. With a ship acquired along with credits, a larger reputation and the solidification of his function: bounty hunter. And while he continued in the capacity, it became only a means to reach what he wanted to achieve.

Now he was allowing the unforeseen alliance to Thundercracker block his goal. But the Seeker was the only mech he could ever recall that had at least tried to guard and nurture him for a purpose beyond personal benefit. However, he was ultimately abandoned and discarded, and whatever perverse link his spark felt towards the blue Seeker; he could not let it thwart his intentions.

* * *

There was only one way to get rid of Thundercracker. One method to make sure he didn't get in his way or cause further distractions of the past. Breaker was going to have to terminate him.

But even decided on that point, did not give him the clarity on how to carry such a challenge out. Until he realized he didn't need to go at it alone. Soundwave made it quite clear that he would take care of whatever obstacles Breaker needed him to, and that his mechs were at his disposal. Never one to depend on another, he disregarded the offer. However, Thundercracker wasn't just another mech; he was perceptive, sharp and not so easily taken in.

But he was extremely loyal as well when he formed attachments, and the attachments he had with his Trinemates, no matter how tenuous it could appear, did not make his faith in his wingmates falter.

Convincing Thundercracker to go with him was not such an easy task as it had been with Skywarp. Using the purple Seeker as an excuse, he informed the mech that he had heard rumors of Warp's location. Having already heard many such rumors, Breaker was mildly surprised that Thundercracker latched on the untruth so readily, agreeing to go with Moonbreaker as they pursued the report.

Thundercracker followed Breaker's ship as the mech guided them to a familiar place, one that he had thought he forgot about: the planet Aldorioum. He despised his homeworld. Even the thought of it made his servos twist in repugnance. It was the representation of his abandonment and the engenderment of the violent path he had been forced to take. The creatures that lived there, the vile, twisted excuses for lifeforms that inhabited the planet, had long been overrun by rogue Decepticons and mechs, killed off and left to rot on their overly moist planet.

"I know this place," Thundercracker informed Breaker after they landed. "It is not a nice place."

Breaker sneered at that. "No, it is not. But it is where this is going to end." He drew his weapon, aiming the plotonic disruptor at the Seeker.

They were only seven clicks from the establishment he had once resided in. An ironic fact that he really didn't care to know, but somehow must have planned due to its familiarity. Once cleared patches of trees and vegetation were now overgrown, masking the paths that led to the construct.

Head shifting to the side, he watched TC as the Seeker's alert optics flickered to his weapon. There was no surprise, no despair, just a disturbing uplifting of the corner of his usually straight mouthpiece. And when patches of organic growth were cut down as some of Soundwave's army appeared all around them, even then TC stood there calmly, almost sure, an ease to his stance that was as an anomaly to the circumstances.

"I know who you are. I know what you want." Thundercracker chuckled dryly, another oddity that made tangible tremors ripple down Breaker's armor. "Pathetic really, predictable as well. Do you know how many times I have been forced to protect Starscream? How many times I had to defend my Trine? I know how to identify treachery and misdirection. And I have known, however you tried to hide it, exactly what you seek. But I also know that he has done far worse, to far worthier foes. But out of regard to the sparkling I remember, I will allow you a chance. Destroy me, end me as you have planned and the confrontation you seek with Starscream is yours."

Breaker scoffed at that, "And why would I bother myself when they are ready to take you out? Just a quick nod of my head, a flick of my wrist and you are done for."

"You give them too much credit. And you didn't come this far just to take the easy route did you? You want to kill me yourself. You need to. You must."

Thundercracker was right. He didn't come this far to pass the victory on to someone else. The surrounding mechs were for backup and nothing more. And he knew where everything was leading to when he led TC back to his homeworld. There could only be one outcome. Folding the disruptor away, he advanced with a roar and a growl. He would forget how Thundercracker tried to help him as a sparkling, and hold onto the abandonment that tortured him for many a cycle.

His talons extending, he slashed across Thundercracker's cockpit, digging in deep and slashing ferociously. He was pushed aside, and the scent of energon filled the air. The smell turned immediately putrid from the planet's humidity. Looking down, Breaker found it was from him. His elbow guard was missing with wires and circuits exposed and lubricants leaking.

Thundercracker threw the procured armor behind his right wing before his digits lingered along the thin gouges along his cockpit. Breaker lunged again. Once more he was waylaid as TC twisted, bent and threw him aside. His pediform digging against the bounty hunter's chassis, Thundercracker added all his weight. His armor cracked and bent, delicate circuits demolished as his internal wiring was cut through and exposed. Bending his leg back, he activated springs in his knee-joint. They reacted, building up in pressure before the joint sprang forward, colliding against the Seeker with crude force. But it wasn't enough to get Thundercracker off him. Breaker deployed more decisive means. Terinlion acid spilled out of the tips of his digits, spraying against the bottom of the Seeker's pediform. The smoking armor polluted the already thick air.

Breaker kicked out again. This time Thundercracker was pushed off.

"So, that is how you want it? Messy?" the Seeker asked. Sighing, Thundercracker looked down at the marred form of his ped.

An apparatus folded out of the Seeker's shoulder plates, and by the time he identified it as the Seeker's infamous sonic disruptor, Moonbreaker was thrown back, his metallic flesh peeling and armor splitting, internal alarms sounding off as pain and sensory overload blinded him.

If some of Soundwave's mechs didn't step in at that moment, the ones who were still standing, he would have been finished right then. His optics focused on surrounding shadows and the moving disarray slowly solidified. The provided soldiers were no better than cannon fodder, but they didn't hold Thundercracker off long. Whether with the blaster that the Seeker just drew, or cannons that armed, or a Filion grenade which ended half the attackers in one spinning sweep. Thundercracker wasn't just prepared, but more than capable of defending himself. And more than willing to fight to the very finish. He didn't have to come into the fray alone. But there was a turmoil behind his actions. A purpose, something he had to prove, no matter the cost, even if to his end. He defended Starscream so valiantly, so undeservedly. So wastefully.

Starscream didn't deserve such loyalty.

Slag. It was seeing the chaos and the carnage that followed that he realized latently that he was way out of his class. That didn't stop Moonbreaker from ordering more of the provided soldiers to attack the Seeker. They were wearing him down. And no one, no matter how good, could keep up such an vigorous attack indefinitely.

Standing, Breaker overrode the warning alerts as he diverted more energy to his weapons and optics. He then prepared for his final attack.


	57. Consort

Barricade was going to have to use extreme delicacy in the way he treated the female if he wanted to achieve and get back what he desperately wanted.

His body.

However, telling himself that and preparing himself for her arrival over the many days, and then the months before those long stretches of time turned into over a year, didn't help in the least when Alexis suddenly arrived with thunder and lighting of the displaced atmosphere trailing behind the speeding light, indicating and directing his feet as he rushed to find the new arrival.

They promised they would bring Alexis to him. And so far, Barricade had no reason to doubt the grotesque, irksome Quintessons, the fabled creatures of Cybertronian legend and myth that now held his very spark in their tentacles.

Taking on the form of a human when he used his holo-form had been repulsive enough, or at least until he learned its benefits. But being a breathing, walking, confined and compressed human was something he still had difficulties in believing. But when time suddenly became something he was more aware of, even as his ability to keep track of it with unmatched precision was lost, he struggled and fought to gain control of the form. And he was forced to learn and teach himself all its dysfunctions and needs.

Barricade remembered the first time he felt hungry, a strange, troublesome pang dwelling and shifting around in his belly before strange sounds came from within. Knowing through observations of humans what it meant, he gorged himself on the first edible plant he could find. Its bitter sweetness coated his tongue as he bit into the rounded fruit, his taste buds awakening and merging with the taste as it offered him strange satisfaction. Until hours later he was purging his tank... stomach, horrible convulsions forcing his body into supplication as he bent over and released all that he had previously ate. Relieved when it was over, not even moments later his stomach protested with more audible sounds of rebellion. But after that Barricade was careful in how he ate and what he consumed. He found there were other ways he was forced to eject internal waste, each new way more revolting than the last. However, if he refused to comply with the pangs he felt, he was given more pain until he dealt with the matter.

But the first thing he really recalled when he opened his organic eyes, besides the disgust and the anger and the conflicting anguish of reconciliation, was pain. It wasn't even hours after his awakening, after his trying to figure things out, that his body gave, crashing on the foreign earth as tremors and steady, thunderous palpitations, which he later discovered were his heart, ebbed along with the sharp, course stings that ground into his flesh, trailed along his body and burned through every nerve ending.

It would be days later until the pain resided, until he could open his eyes and move, until the world became more than just the feeling of death and dying, of pain and torment.

He thought a lot then, there was nothing else he could do. Until he discovered his body repeatedly shut down, his mind drifting beyond as he was offered minimal relief. Sleep preferred to the roaming state of his mind, he slept as much as he could, the pain interrupting and invading until he could drift away again.

Barricade almost felt sorry for Alexis when she suddenly crashed and fell. He did try to get her to hurry, knowing what was inevitable. The pain he had gone through, the pain he had endured, it was his body's way of adjusting to the new environment, of acclimating to the atmosphere and pressure.

Now, it was her turn.

Frustrated, but only because it was now a familiar emotion, he picked the girl up in his arms, walking as she twitched and moved, sweat beading on her brow as she flinched and moaned.

He had a good five miles yet before he reached the small dwelling he had built. And took that time to consider things. Alexis was as he remembered and yet different. A subtlety of change was evident in her form and the way she carried herself that appealed to the fickled feeling he held for the human. She was light in his arms. Leaning in, he breathed deeply, the aroma of her skin and flesh tingling up his noise, causing strange remembrances that invaded his mind.

Barricade was accustomed to being alone. He even trained on the planet Rifton for three decades in absolute isolation. He long ago taught himself not to need anyone. He was all he needed. Company and companionship were overrated, and only needed when certain programing looped long enough that Barricade would take a femme until the programming was completed. His isolated passions let out for a time as he became a wild thing of need and lust. But even that he learned to tame over the passing mega-cycles until the feeling of being one was enough.

A good many hours had passed since he placed Alexis inside his small shack of a dwelling. The suns had set and the cold flowed quickly into the air, stretching and pushing forward as it surrounded and consumed the last of the heat.

A fire now burned between them, a barrier that did not block his view of her. Alexis had stilled long ago, the only evidence of the pain she was going through were the small twitches in her fingers and the fluttering of her lids.

He reminded himself again that he needed to use caution with the femme. She was suspicious and resentful, mindfully aware of her personal barrier and dripping with hostility. However, at the moment, she was unconscious, far away and distracted by the onslaught of pain.

Barricade wanted to touch her. He received pleasure from the feel of her flesh and the lingering scent of her on his body. When she woke, she would be as she had been, hindering and full of objections while holding to those insignificant grudges of long days past.

He was touching her long before he rid himself of the needed cautions, long before his however separated, but still fully functioning Decepticon mind took off in a spurt of greedy deprivation. Testing first, he placed two fingers on her temple. There was no response. But as he remembered, she would not be able to move, not be conscious of anything but the excruciating pangs of acclimation.

His fingers drifted. Tracing down her warmed flesh, he followed long remembered paths to her mouth. Bending over her, his body now placed above her own, he felt his legs against her own, felt his stomach hovering along her side. He wanted to press against her tight, to bend himself against her and become a part of her.

He suddenly felt bitterly lonesome. So much that the feeling that had long been recognized, but had been adamantly denied, throttled him, making his hands shake as his breaths quickened while a sharp invisible dagger dug into his temple.

Barricade moved away from her, but kept his hand near her own. What was it about being human that made him feel separated and alone, feel isolated and cut off?

Trained in the art of denial, he pushed those unwanted feelings back. Her mouth caught his attention again, and it wasn't long after that when his own was pressing against hers. Barricade's lips lingered despite the lack of participation, despite the oddly twisted feelings of guilt that tried to halt his actions. It was only another emotion he was experiencing because of his flawed humanity.

He pulled back, but stayed by her side. Shifting his body, her heat became his own.

* * *

When Alexis woke up several long days after, the way her eyes brightened and then died down into a wordless affront, he momentarily believed she had been aware of his stolen touches and lingering presence.

But she said nothing. It was a risk he had taken even in her unconscious state, but Barricade knew it would take her a long while until she accustomed herself to his presence again, and he had been desperate for the feel of her.

Wasting no time, he quickly explained things to her. Letting her know that now that she was awake and recovered that their journey was at hand. He gave her clothes he had prepared for her, and introduced her to an ointment he had long ago created that was a mixture of mud and berries, which helped block the suns' rays. Alexis listened as she sipped water slowly from the pouch he gave her. Listened further as she munched hungrily on some fruit and herbs that he had collected for her.

An hour later they were already walking. Alexis was filled with energy now that the pain had resided, and her body was more adjusted. She had questions, too many questions. When she figured out he was not prepared to answer them yet, she became silent and watchful. She kept her distance from him even as she followed. By the time the suns hit their peak, he had to slow his pace as she acclimated to the heat. He was still trying to ascertain if she could handle the full assault of the suns, knowing if she couldn't that they would have to switch their traveling to night.

But she seemed to adjust well enough with extra rest periods, and the hood he made for Alexis, protected her delicate flesh and helped keep her cool, while the ointment prevented her from getting burned. He allowed for further breaks, knowing as her silence turned into brooding, that soon he was going to have to explain things to her.

However, Barricade was unprepared for an explanation. She was supposed to come to him wiped clean of her memories of Starscream, or formatted to believe that he was whom she loved. That had been promised to him by the Quintessons. He didn't trust them, but it was the first evidence that they had more in mind for him than they wanted him to believe.

He was going to kill them as soon as his body was given back to him, once he was the mech he was meant to be. It didn't matter if they saved him. They shouldn't have made him into such a feely, emotional fleshbag with vast amounts of time to contemplate and lust for feelings of retribution.

Alexis was asleep. She slept a good many paces away from him. He was now resentfully accustomed to the space she required, and although he was amused by the staff he had given her that she clung to as if a lover, he couldn't help but feel restless. This was the third such night that they had slept near each other, but it was the first night that she finally allowed herself to sleep once she believed he wouldn't try anything.

Several hours later, awakened by a strange cracking noise, he jumped to his feet. It wasn't the first time Barricade accidentally fell asleep, but it was another reminder of the inadequate form he was in that couldn't even stay awake as he needed.

The sight of Alexis gone made anger and desolation gnaw at him. The female had left him far too many times that he could recall, and he was growing tired of the recurrences. Cursing, both from his falling asleep and her disappearance, he followed the small but perceivable sounds of light tapping.

By the time he came upon the girl, dusk was upon them, the first sun teetering on the edge of the horizon. Alexis was leaning over a ledge, her staff tapping against the edge as she whispered strange utterances. She was not so absorbed in her task that she didn't notice him come up behind her. He saw the recognition in the tightness of her rising shoulders and the faltering of the beat of the staff.

"I can't reach him, I think he is stuck," Alexis said with no further explanation. "I think I can go down and get him, but," she sighed. "I think I am going to need some help getting back up."

He stepped toward the edge, leaned over and peered down. A feeling tickled in his stomach, and his mouth opened with a roar of laughter. Shocked by his outburst and taken aback by the rare mirth, Alexis stood to her feet and waited for his laughter to subside.

"What is so funny? That little guy is stuck down there, could die if we don't help him, and all you do is laugh like a maniac and... and try to frighten me." She glared at him, her mouth curving down.

He didn't know how his laughing equaled Alexis being scared of him, but her words of concern had him stopping completely.

"You silly girl. If you knew what manner of a beast that... 'little guy' would grow into, you would not be trying to help him with such alacrity."

Barricade knew exactly what the creature was. He had been hunted by them before the Quintessons blocked them out with the protective barrier. They were predators through and through, and while its appearance was altered enough by the thick layer of fur that covered its armor and by its lack of growth and age, Barricade was somewhat surprised that Alexis didn't recognize it as well. After all, Soundwave had one such animal, or the kin to the wild creature, at his disposal.

"He didn't fall down there as you probably presume." Barricade said, enjoying the feeling he always got when he looked her straight in the eyes. "He was left there to reach full growth. His inability to ascend means he is a faulty runt unworthy of survival and better left to off-line."

Narrowing her eyes at him, she surprised him when she dropped her staff and hunched down before jumping over the edge. But reaching the rocky platform underneath was not going to be enough. The creature snarled and swiped out with its large paws, its jagged maw opening and roaring out with muted screeches of disapproval. Its long, barbed tail swiped back and forth in the air behind the animal, further warnings of agitated distress.

Alexis lowered her head and put out her hand. It was such an obscure gesture that Barricade chuckled at her stupidity. The amusement wore off when several minutes later the Cybertronian cat walked cautiously up to the girl and sniffed with his superior nose module, all the while moving closer and closer until his small head suddenly dropped into her open hand. When he heard the sound of munching, he realized that Alexis had lured it with some old Filix jerky he had made that Alexis still had a hard time eating after she knew where it came from.

It still took some effort before Alexis could touch it. Another hour after that before the creature allowed her to pick it up so that Barricade could lift them out.

Settling the small feline on the ground, she immediately shooed it off. Scenting Barricade, the animal took off in a wild run, jumping over a large bush and disappearing in the offered shadows.

Alexis ignored his pointed look, and ignored the chastisement of his disapproval.

Barricade shook his head and spoke slowly, making sure she understood everything he said, "It may look like a cat, but it's nothing more than a hound. Even in its minimal state it could have harmed you, could have killed you if it so inclined."

"It was no bigger than a house cat, and it was yowling dreadfully. I had to help it."

There was no arguing with her. Happy with her tiny feat, she actually showed signs of gratitude for his help of retrieval, that shouldn't have but somehow did gratify Barricade immensely. He led them away and back to their camp to pick up their things and get started again.

* * *

After all the weeks that had passed, Barricade still managed to keep most of the truth away from Alexis. The truth wouldn't have hurt, but it would leave him at a disadvantage he wouldn't allow.

Alexis no longer slept with the staff so tightly tucked to her chest. But they had traveled long and far with one another, and she had grown accustomed to him. It was troublesome that he could not pursue her as he desired, tiresome that he had to follow the rules he set for their interactions.

But she still didn't trust him and still wanted to get back to Starscream. Still wanted to leave him. She always wanted to leave him. And there was something else going on within her that he couldn't figure out.

Nails digging into his bended thumb, he kept his hooded eyes upon the girl. Even with him not revealing much, she was still too smart to have not gleaned more than he wanted. She was always too perceptive.

Suddenly, something caught his attention, not a noise but something intuitive inside his gut. When the shadows shifted and twisted near Alexis, his hand folded over the dagger he always kept nearby. When the visual view of the area in front of the girl warbled and bent, he knew enough of what he saw... or didn't see, to identify a stealth device at work.

The moving nothingness slowly came into form, kneading at the area in front of Alexis before lying down before her. By the time the creature was fully revealed, despite its advanced size, there was no denying it was the same beast that Alexis saved all those weeks ago.

Barricade had thought they were being followed, but he just put it down to his faulty human body giving off more false impressions. Living inside the fleshy confines for well over a year, he still didn't trust its sensory input.

When the Cybertronian cat stretched out, Alexis awoke with a start, her mouth falling open as a terrified scream echoed out. Both were surprised when the creature tucked its long tail underneath its torso and ran to Barricade for protection.


	58. Antagonist

The colors were dead, but while the vibrancy of the landscape had been sucked away, the heat remained as did the chilling air that replaced it every following evening.

Alexis didn't know why the colors were now so muted, or why, when she first arrived everything had been so abnormally bright and colorful. From what she got from Barricade, it seemed her travel through the gateway that had brought her there, had warped her initial perceptions.

After making it through a long cycle of pain that started the very day of her arrival, finding Barricade waiting for her with expectation and enthusiasm, was enough to make her feel ill again.

He no longer intruded on her personal space or even make twisted comments, as if some boundary was in place and punishment was waiting for him if he crossed it. But Alexis saw enough behind his simmering eyes and had noticed the way he watched her. Whatever the reason for his new way of treating her, it was something he did with difficulty, his increasing agitation something she had to learn to ignore.

She gleamed enough from what he had told her and discerned some of the things that were left unsaid. And knew from his state of humanity that things were more complicated that he wanted to let on. He said they were going through some trial, but it seemed an untruth. However, everything that came out of his mouth was usually a lie in one form or another.

Alexis didn't know why she needed to be there nor what purpose her presence served. The longer she remained on the alien planet, the more she wondered if Starscream was anywhere near finding her. She couldn't feel him as she once did and the anger she had held for him vanished, and then was forgotten about. Alexis began to feel clearer than she had in a while.

Of course that clarity had to be muddled by Barricade's actions when he protected her. She didn't really notice it at first, until one day he pulled her back, shoving her out of the way as he explained that she nearly stepped on some beetle like creatures he called cytritzums, poisonous things that could have harmed her with one or two bites. His voice was loud, is gestures filled with rapid movements from his frustration with her carelessness, but beyond the noise coming out of his mouth and the wildness in his gesticulations, she saw genuine concern.

That rattled Alexis entirely and left her praying for her reality to settle back to where it was supposed to be, with her knowing exactly who he was and what he was about.

They mostly traveled through the day, leaving her exhausted at night with aches and sores. She wasn't used to all the walking, the strange landscapes and the exhaustive weather. It took her a good long while before she could sleep without jerking awake every hour or so, aware of Barricade nearby and the uncomfortable feeling lodged in her system from his too close presence.

Given a staff as a weapon, she made sure to sleep with it at night, the hard rod cushioned in front of her body as if a shield, ready to be used if needed. When she recovered from the discombobulation she felt when Barricade had first supplied her with the weapon, she wondered exactly what he expected her to use it on. Through their travels, she had yet to see anything but small little creatures and animals that seemed way more frightened of them. But with the way Barricade was always on alert and actually cautious to avoid certain areas, she started to wonder what he was wary of, and what he was trying to avoid.

With the way he kept all the important details hidden, and made sure only he knew where they were headed, she was forced to remain with him until she had things figured.

Seeing Barricade sleep was a rarity. Alexis supposed he always fell asleep after her, and woke up before. But the first night she actually did see him sleeping was the same night she had walked away from camp and came upon the creature, the strange little kitten like animal that she had helped escape from the ledge.

She didn't expect the animal to return, and when it did many weeks later, waking her up and terrifying her into the release of a well-earned scream, Alexis grabbed for her staff weapon, body scooting backwards as the creature ran to Barricade.

The animal was larger now, the size of a full-grown German Shepard, its tail longer and fuller, its fur a deeper bluish gray with patches of orange and black. Its optics were a bright fiery orange, rounded out and covered with fine lines of metal. If she took away the fur, the slightly elongated ears and the curious nature in its now nervous stance, the creature was another Ravage.

"Now, do you see why you should have never helped him?" Barricade asked, his words irritated as his body tensed. His fingers rested near his dagger, deeply aware of the animal's proximity.

The fear dying down, and her attention still placed on the large feline; she watched it. His ears were low and his tail was lying flat on the ground, her scream, the one that had stung her throat on its escape, had frightened and perplexed him.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, because she noticed the way Barricades muscles were tensing as his breath evened out.

"Kill it before it kills us." At the end of the words he pulled his dagger out. Barricade's free hand grabbed around the neck of the animal, bending it down and twisting it to the left as he prepared for the thrust of the blade on an exposed and obviously sensitive juncture.

"Stop!" she yelled out.

The fear now entirely gone, the reactions of the cat and the way he responded reminded her of a pet reacting to the owner's mood. The animal didn't move away from Barricade, but began to whine, a high-pitched sound that vibrated through her flesh and tickled against her bones.

"Leave it alone," Alexis demanded, her sympathy now firmly placed with the distressed animal.

"Leave it alone, she says." Barricade shook his head and rolled his eyes as he mocked her. "Was it not you who just moments ago was screaming in terror and ready to attack it yourself?"

"That was before I knew who he was, look at him... he's just a frightened feline, and..."

"No!" Barricade said firmly. "This is not a pet nor some creature to be tamed. He will kill us both given the chance. You think this half-breed Cybertronian feline is worth saving now; you wait until it is full grown and its talons come in and its protocols are activated, then the screams that come out of that delicate little throat of yours will not be ones of fear, but of pain when it slices through your body as if a blade of grass."

"Let it go," she repeated. Maybe if she could trust Barricade or even believe what he said for once, maybe then Alexis would have been inclined to listen to him. However, she didn't trust him, didn't believe him.

Barricade's eyes narrowed, a small smile turning his mouth upwards. "Fine," He got up a little, releasing his hand off the neck of the creature.

Alexis walked forward, making her movements slow so the animal could watch her. Just when she was about to touch the feline, Barricade spoke, "Fine, as in everything _will_ be once I end this thing."

The blade shot forward, but so did Alexis. Making a loud shout, the animal sprung to life, shooting away and beneath the weapon before scampering off, its form slowly shimmering away until not even his shadow remained. Barricade followed after, only to return several long minutes after.

"Just when I think you have a micron of intelligence; you remind me how foolish of a human you are," he shouted at her, even as his voice wasn't louder than a whisper.

"Its been tracking us for weeks, and will continue to track us," he went on, his voice wavering with anger and annoyance. "The next time it comes for us, I may not be able to... Alexis, are you even listening to me?"

Barricade tugged on her arm and forced her around so that she faced him. Bringing his hand up to his face, he used the moon above to make out the wetness of blood on his fingers. His eyes went to the tear of a hole in her shoulder, now noticing the thick blood that stained her arm. Taking his blade out, he slowly swiped the blood off the dagger, realizing then that it was he that injured her.

She was shivering, and as he cut the rest of the pelted jacket off her that he had given her upon her arrival, she was shivering more, a lightness entering her head as she felt dizzy. Alexis almost didn't notice the prickles of pain. However, when she opened her eyes several long stretches of minutes later and found herself lying on the ground with Barricade above, a bright fire now lit, and a needle-like apparatus in his hand as he began to stitch up her gash, she swiped him away, growling at him as she strained to sit upright.

He backed away and gave her a moment. Alexis caught up with what was now happening. Or, what wasn't. Her skin, torn along her shoulder and still bleeding, assaulted her with its grotesqueness. The gaping line of the flesh cut open, soured her stomach and made the dizziness increase. Barricade made a move to continue. She shoved him back again.

"Just..." her word broke apart into the cold air. She tried again, "Just give it a moment. It will heal on its own... I... just..."

The world swayed and the bright moon above reverberated and shifted. The shadows were dancing around the fire that burned and she smelled the sickening scent of lost blood and sweat. He eased her back down, his mouth pinched together tightly.

"I did wait," he informed her, "and because I did, you have lost more blood than necessary. You will remain still and let me finish this, or I will knock you over the head and complete it."

He meant it. Not fit to argue, Alexis tried to play back how she got into the predicament. She suddenly remembered the feline and the soulful look of its pleading optics, the feeling of coldness and pain, the following numbness and confusion.

Her nanites weren't working. She supposed, as she lie their prone with her mind racing, that she should have realized the potential of that possibility. But as the numbness backed away and the prickles of pain increased as Barricade stitched her arm up, she realized it was she that was screaming in pain, she that was breathing heavily and crying for it to end.

Her body no longer able to take it, she passed out into sweet oblivion.

* * *

When Alexis came to, it was to a strange point of view. She saw the back of Barricade's feet and the bright sky above, felt trickles of passing grass touching her elbows and felt a light rush of air. She was lying on some sort of stretcher, pulled along by Barricade.

Sensing that she was conscious, Barricade wasted no time as he began to berate her.

"You get yourself cut, force me to build a fire out in the open, scream out loud enough for them to hear you on Cybertron and then have the audacity to pass out. On top of that, you have gained body mass, alerted everything inside this perimeter and without to our presence. And have caused us to be hunted by the indigenous beings who I had managed to expertly avoid." He took a deep breath, ready to continue his tirade. "Let's not forget about your pet you have adopted, who is also tracking us, and who, unfortunately, will _not_ end us before the Trilixxsions catch up with us, and who, I have no doubt, will take great enjoyment in eating us."

He was angry at her, but even as he continued to speak, she understood how strange it was to hear him so emotional. Even when he had been angry at her before, it had been calculated and ruthless, entirely contained and implemented. Now, it was as the cork had been released, his perfected indifference ruffled and at the end of its tolerance.

Alexis didn't notice he had stopped speaking until he was suddenly leaning down by her, his hand slowly swiping over her brow. His hand was cold, and the concerned grimace that appeared upon his face made her want to shut her eyes tight.

"What is your state?" he asked of her; his words clipped and tight.

"My stomach hurts; my head feels weird, and I think I am going to throw up. And I miss Starscream," she added, because she still hurt and her mind was still spinning, and because she wanted him there with her, not Barricade, who had the penchant for leaning over her and staring hard with those unsettling hazel eyes of his. Alexis could have complained further, and with the bitterness from the pain that she still felt swimming to the surface of her head, she surely could have. But at the mention of Starscream, Barricade shifted back as if her words were a grenade, his eyes losing their fighting luster as they died into indifferent orbs.

"Soon you will forget all about your lover," Barricade whispered. "I am all you have now. I am the one who will..." he stopped abruptly as he shifted back, his shoulders tensed before his hands dropped lightly against his thighs. "Stay here," he told her with some sort of twisted humor lining his mouth. "Not that you can leave now. I will return once I find the medicinal herbs I need, and you, Alexis, for once will be awaiting _my_ return. Sleep if you must, but I wouldn't if I were you." He tucked her staff under her good arm and patted her head. "You don't know what could find you in my absence." He chuckled at the fear that flashed through her eyes, laughed when her fingers wrapped around the weapon. "I won't be long."

Alexis' thoughts took off once more, a sentence repeating over and over. She hated him. She hated him.

She _hated_ him.

* * *

"You promised that you would... her... you promised... you... and..."

Awakened to the familiar sound of Barricade's voice, Alexis shifted on her sleeping mat of dried leaves and grass. Two days had gone by since her shoulder had been cut. She slept through most of it though, whatever substance Barricade had applied to her skin, had left her drowsy and blissfully content. She wasn't in any hurry to escape that.

Shifting into a sitting position, her arm protesting but not hurting as much as it could have, she considered as sleepiness left and consciousness took over, who it could be that Barricade was talking to.

Alexis was somewhere dark and small. At some point, Barricade had placed her under a bent-over tree trunk, an area underneath serving as her resting place as she started recovery. It had been a long time since her body had to do the work on its own, and it was if it had to relearn how to heal her all over again, the process long and slow. Alexis swayed when she stood to do her feet, her head pinching with sharp pangs as she nearly gave up right there. However, when she heard the sound of more voices, the unfamiliar tones had her moving with a small step taken and then another before she could walk a little more sure on her feet. She continually brushed against passing tree-like growths as she leaned against their crooked, bluish tinted trunks here and there.

She was only able to pick up some of Barricade's words. By the time she reached the clearing, she saw Barricade standing by a trickling brook. However, Alexis still couldn't see who he was talking to. Carefully, she moved further over, walking several long paces until she settled behind a large, yellow bush.

When she saw who he was conversing with, her breath was stolen away. A large, metal orb hovered in the air, an even larger face positioned on the front. Thick tentacles kept the structure upright and positioned above Barricade. But that wasn't the end of it, suddenly the orb twisted away to the right and another face took its place, this one grotesque and ugly, making the bulbous one of before seem almost angelic in appearance.

"We have..."

"...given what was..."

"...promised."

Again, the structure twisted and again, a new face appearing and another, each one more strange and different than the last. The words were finished by each revolving face, the enunciation and vocalizations changing in depth and feeling until the original bulbous face appeared once more; at least until they started speaking again.

"What you..."

"...considered a promise..."

"...was merely a demand..."

"...that _you _placed on us."

"That is a lie!" Barricade argued. "You will do as you say or..."

"We brought you the..."

"...life-filled creature..."

"...the fleshy being..."

"...the human..."

"The curious earther who..."

"...is watching us now."

Mouth popping open, Alexis ducked behind the bush, accidentally bumping into her bad shoulder. Covering her mouth with her hand, she bit down on the yelp. When someone grabbed her from behind, she shot out with her hands and struggled to get loose.

"Stay still, Alexis."

The more time Alexis spent with Barricade, the less she wanted to. He was so familiar with the use of her name now, that she was beginning to hate hearing it. And she was so tired of him keeping things from her that she couldn't stand it. Glancing behind her back, she found the strange Quintesson creatures gone.

"I will not stay still... not anymore." Alexis pushed him away and stood. "You will either tell me what is going on, or I will do what I should have done when I first came on this planet: get as far away from you as possible and take things as they come."

He considered what she said before speaking softly, his words reflective and sure, "Yes, you could have done that. But I believe a part of you realizes how much danger you are in. And that I am the only one that can... guide you through it."

"Danger, there hasn't been any danger, and the only person I have been hurt by is you! Everything you have said, everything you made me believe, it's all nothing but lies... all of it!"

"And those... things," she shuttered, remembering their appearance, "you were talking to... I bet somehow, someway you are working for them, that you are just..."

Barricade silenced her when he took a couple of steps closer.

"I will tell you what you want to know," he relented with determination. "Firstly," he cocked his head and watched her closely. "This is not a planet we are on, but a constructed dome made to test... survival and fitness."

"Fitness of what?" she wanted to know. A penetrable chill climbed up her spine.

He frowned and shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

Barricade went on, "Secondly; we are in danger, now more than ever." He narrowed his eyes, his tone turning thick and emotional. "And if you think I will let you leave me, if you believe I will let anything happen to you after all that I had to go through to get you here, you are _deeply_ mistaken. I need you. I need you to..." he frowned, grimaced and then spoke once more, "assist me in the retrieval of my body."


	59. Precarious

Alexis had been gone for over two months. Of course, Starscream had been separated from her before, but not by force, not by someone stealing her away from him for purposes unknown. Or at least, if one discounted when the Autobots did. Or when Barricade managed, or the medic and Megatron had tried, but those off-lined mechs had nothing to do with what had happened this time.

When she first went missing, he didn't recharge until weeks later. And only because his systems were so overwhelmed and overheated that he was left with no other choice. Then Skywarp went missing, and Thundercracker revealed his past duplicitous actions. Starscream was left feeling withdrawn, bitter and full of contempt. If he couldn't trust his own trinemates during a difficult time, what chance did he have for the future? He was truly alone. Truly all on his own.

When Skywarp was found, Starscream decided he was better left on the planet he was captured on. He didn't need further foolhardy actions obstructing his plans. Giving Thundercracker meaningless tasks to keep him busy, Starscream mulled over what he needed to do.

Hold grudges most likely, but that went without saying. And finding that Moonbreaker was his offshoot, complicated matters when complications were already at an all-time high. Soon after, it was revealed that Breaker was not his spawn, but Megatron's. He was told in a message delivered to him from Thundercracker's console that had been pre-recorded and set to be time delayed until the blue Seeker left the citadel. Furious and reaching his limit, Starscream took out his frustrations on his berth and the surrounding crates and equipment. Since Alexis went missing, he recharged in a supply compartment closest to his planning room.

It was cramped, dark and dismal, but the Seeker wouldn't have had it any other way. And now, with his berth bent in half, with miscellaneous parts and other things littering the floor underneath, he felt no better. Sliding onto the ground, wings folding tightly against his backpanel, he huffed and growled, simmering in his discontent and contentedly set in his hopelessness.

Starscream still remembered the sound of Alexis' scream before she was taken. He had been returning to his quarters, unwilling and unsettled too much to leave things as they were between them. That was when he had heard her yell out, not through the sound-proof lining that lined the walls of their quarters, but through their shared link, the harrowing yelp twisting his servos and making his spark compress.

That was the last time he was to hear or experience anything through their link. Right when she was taken, it was shut off and closed down. Not a glimmer remained of their connection, not even spark separation pain that would have been satisfactory. But he was left with nothing but his own despair. Whatever cut him off from Alexis had also blocked their bond, making the result worse than if she had died.

His spark still felt as if Megatron had his talons around it. And he still heard and felt that scream of hers that shattered his composure and left him internally trembling. Betrayal, duplicity, stupidity, he was surrounded by them all. And the humans that were now there didn't help either. He had brought them for Alexis, wanting to surround her by her own kind, wanting to ease her into the separation from her planet, wanting to make her happy.

Spitefully, Starscream threw the humans at Thundercracker, making his fellow Seeker deal with the organic creatures. He found perverted pleasure in that. TC had a difficult time with the humans and didn't like being around them. But now, since Alexis' disappearance, he was forced to interact with them daily.

Besides, dealing with Alexis' parental units was more than enough for Starscream. He only sent then a line of communication a day, letting them know where he stood with finding their daughter. But every cycle that passed as he was forced to send another line, and then another, left him bereft and irate.

_Alexis not found. No further information obtained._

Sending the text off early, he shuffled his way out of the room.

* * *

If anyone wanted to attack the citadel, now would be a good time. Or so it would have appeared. But just because there was no Seeker presence on the compound, did not mean it was left unprotected. And if intruders did make it through his defense perimeter, Starscream had more than a few surprises waiting for them that would have been ephemeral but deadly.

He was tired of staying on the base though, tired of mulling over all the many problems and tired of just directing and sending others off as he stayed behind. He was a commander after all, a S_upreme_ commander, and his prerogative, his will, was the most important directive of all.

Following the coordinated left to him by Thundercracker, he found Skywarp easily enough. Freeing him from the planet, he set strict terms: follow and obey. Sensing Starscream's volatile mood, Warp only shook his head, gathered his things and trailed behind.

Starscream didn't know where Thundercracker got to. But no matter how hard he tried to block his relay signal; the air commander was still capable of tracking him. And now that he had Skywarp with him, the two were able to boost the signal.

"Why is it so important that we find Thundercracker?" Skywarp spoke up, breaking the many hours of silence with his inquiring tone.

"Why do you need to ask?" Starscream groused. He didn't want Warp to speak, didn't want to answer unnecessary questions.

"You've never cared before when he went off on his own," Skywarp reminded.

"That was before I knew what sort of mech he really was," Starscream seethed. "That was before I knew I couldn't trust him."

"He keeps one thing from you, and you go ballistic."

"This isn't just one thing. It is everything."

A short pause came from Skywarp before he ventured on, "Are you upset because Breaker isn't yours? Or upset because of what Megatron did with Jemshine while she was... you know... with you."

If Skywarp hadn't been careful in his inflections and tone, Starscream's reply might have been in the form of violent retaliation instead of slightly unstable words.

"I don't give a slag about any of that. I _do_ give a slag about Thundercracker keeping things from me. Such actions are to be expected from you, but not from him."

Warp quickly defended TC, as if he understood everything. "He was just trying to protect the youngling; he thought he was one of us. You remember how you were back then... you weren't exactly balanced, and sparklings weren't the norm."

Pain came through their link, followed by a further succession of more pain. Both jets came to an abrupt halt. Isolating the link further, the jets momentarily hovered in the dark stretch of space. A nearby moon now blocked their path, but that didn't stop the signal from relaying directly behind it.

"You know," Warp said, "this sector is starting to look familiar. If I didn't know better, I would say that Thundercracker is on..."

"Aldorioum," Starscream finished. "It figures doesn't it? Of all the places to go, he goes to a sector that even Decepticons try to avoid."

* * *

They found Thundercracker not long after. Finding his wingmate surrounded by mechs and Moonbreaker, Skywarp was ready to join the fray. Starscream grabbed onto Warp's shoulder panel and pulled him back.

"No," Starscream shook his head, his mouthpiece turning sharply down. "We will watch, nothing more."

"And if Breaker wins?"

"Then we end him. But this battle is Thundercracker's."

His words and determination at doing such a thing, lasted as long as it took for Moonbreaker to find a short advantage on TC.

_This_ is what Starscream needed: the feel of a thick neckpiece between his hands as he twisted and pushed and ended. The feel of his blade cutting and separating, the smell of Energon with ripe aggression acted on and executed.

Separating a mech's servo from his right side, Starscream quickly followed with the left. Skywarp came up behind to create a smoking hole in a nearby attacker's chassis; a just fired blaster quickly folded back and away as he activated his boosters. Peds leaving the ground, Warp jumped on the next mech. He latched on before lifting up, the mech released when adequate height was reached.

Watching the assailant crash and burn, Skywarp twisted and folded over into his jet form before pointing his nose down. A peel of weapon's fire commenced that connected and burned through more mechs.

And as Starscream extinguished another spark and watched another pair of optics dim and die; he lost himself in the need for violence, reveled in the feel of power and glory. He had forgotten what it was like, and now he didn't want it to end. Roaring, another bladed extended from his other servo. He bounded forward, Energon splashing on his cockpit and covering his blades.

By the time the two joined Thundercracker, Moonbreaker, now missing a pediform and half his chassis, continued to shout commands. His sharp words echoed into the empty air when he found his back up depleted. Breaker's digits folded over as he pressed a button on his wrist guard. Metal folded out, twisted under and then popped out. The familiar sound of boosters firing filled the atmosphere, but not for long. Starscream allowed Breaker to lift off, even allowed him the sneer of the victorious.

"Thundercracker, finish him," Starscream said calmly.

"Wait!" Breaker shouted in vain.

TC, now looking two-nanoclicks from slagged, still managed to aim and fire. A missile clipped the escaping bounty hunter and forced him to land.

The three advanced on the figure, watching the once confident mech as he squirmed and struggled to stand before opting to twist his body back and away.

"He's all yours, Screamer," TC informed the commander. Just like that, Starscream's hostility toward his trinemate was gone. That once tenuous trust, reinforced and built upon.

"Wait..." Breaker tried to stall. "Don't you want to know what Soundwave has planned? Don't you want to know about _who_ I am?"

"No, I don't." Already Starscream's blade was digging into Breaker's chassis, easily slicing through the defense shield. "The prodigy of Megatron cannot continue to function."

"The... what... _who_ did you say?" Breaker asked with surprise.

But there was to be no answer. Twisting his blade, Moonbreaker's optics fizzled off.

"Grab him, Skywarp. There are some questions that need answering. But first it's best we get off this planet, and away from Soundwave's obviously watchful drones."


	60. Disclosure

Things had gone bad. It was indeed a flawed misconception on the humans' part that dictated that once one shared something personal with another, it would bring them closer. What a bunch of slag. Ever since he told Alexis of his shortcoming, she had grown suspicious and uncooperative, making their travels complicated. If the Syponts never started hunting them, and Alexis never caught a glimpse of an eyeful of their tail and fangs and alien visage that incited a form of ingrained fear or another, they would still have been stuck in the arguing and grueling silences.

Alexis didn't want him to get his body back. And she didn't want to assist him. The Quints had allowed him the female after some slight negotiations, using Alexis to decide his worthiness. The Quintesons seemed to like testing scenarios and watching adversarial interactions. They collected different species, and from the genetics lab he had seen on his first arrival, they were not adverse to tampering with bio structures. They seemed to also enjoy throwing warring species together and watching the ensuing conflict and chaos. But for what purpose?

If it had been engraved in his matrix, these questions and curiosities would have meant more to Barricade. But being who he was, he was built not to question, but to act. And while he was following no specified orders, he was still programmed to carry out a given task until completion. And getting his body back was a motivator he could not deny.

Alexis had also increased her physical distance from him after the revelation. And now, with her pressed tight before him in the small crevice of the underground cave they were hiding in, it was the most contact the two had had in a week.

Barricade's body was having a fit. Where they were was compressed, damp, had a strange musty smell and was dark enough that he could only capture a glimmer of Alexis' nearby face that was turned away from him. She was listening to the sounds and holding her breath. Alexis was so focused on trying to hear if they had been followed that she wasn't even aware of the sudden proximity or their bodies.

For three days, the pair had been relentlessly pursued. Neither had had much sleep. Ever since Alexis' unfortunate accident with his blade, the Syponts had been aware of their location. Barricade could always enjoy a good hunt. But it wasn't often that he was on the other side of it. He and Alexis were always running, hiding, running some more, all the while searching and hoping for a place to hide.

But now, with Alexis squeezed against him as he felt every breath she took, felt the beating of her heart and the sensation of her damp skin that shimmered softly in the dim lighting, a rather perverse revelation came.

He shifted closer. Alexis' head turned toward him and her mouth opened. He covered it with his hand and shook his head. She wouldn't dare scream out, wouldn't dare make their position known.

Dropping his hand from her mouth, because it was turning into a game, and he wanted to see how much she would let him get away with, he bent his head. His mouth found the curve of her neck, and his hips shifted as he bent against her. His hands moved down her arms, carefully avoiding her damaged shoulder before finding her hands. He clenched them in his own while ignoring the pressure from the band around one of her fingers. Alexis screeched lightly in protest. Barricade squeezed her fingers in warning.

"Don't," she whispered; her voice tormented and angry.

But the husky, breathy tone she used only stirred him further. Alexis tried to shift away and get her hands out of his own. Barricade wouldn't have it. He was tired of her physical barriers and of the distance she always managed to maintain. She wanted this. Barricade understood that. That was why Alexis stayed with him even when she said she didn't want to help him. Why she continued to spend every night with him and be there in the morning. She yearned for him.

Tired of the sounds coming out of her lips, he muted them with his mouth. By then she was clawing and pushing. She drew blood and managed to stomp on his foot. Still, she didn't scream out. Trying to force her mouth into submission, he dropped one of her hands and trailed near her stomach, allowing two fingers to drift under the hem of her shirt as he caressed her flesh and moved toward the mark he had given her.

Alexis' eyes became wider as if suddenly memories came flooding back to her. His simple little touch on the flesh of her stomach had brought remembrances back of a past that Barricade was sure he had been a part of. Alexis became wild. In a fit of strength he wasn't expecting, she pushed him and kicked out. He fell out of their hiding place, and before he could account for his sudden exposure, a thick stick came flying toward his nose.

Blood gushed and stars went supernova. Trying to get up; something impacted against his chest and then swiped against the top of his head. The darkness spread and Barricade's body went limp.

* * *

The first thing Barricade noticed when he came to, besides the pain and the buzzing of his cranium, was that the voices he was hearing were not human. The second was that he was alone, caged and that Alexis was not with him. A clamor of noises filled the area, and before he realized that there was another cage directly parallel to his own, he saw an unconscious and unarmed Alexis thrown into it.

He felt relief and vexation at the same time.

Two of the Syponts came toward him when they noticed he was awake. They clicked and hissed, their narrow jaws opening and shutting as they spoke. Strangely enough, Barricade understood every word.

"This is the one that killed Sartenth?"

"Yes," the other replied with displeasure.

Barricade could understand why Alexis would show fear for the Syponts. They had no feet, but a long, thick tail. A narrow body stretched upwards and then widened out, a pair of short arms sticking out on each side. Their faces consisted of a long stretch of a snout that curved and flattened out to allow for a set of overly large eyes above the slits that were their noses. They had no perceivable ears, but in Barricade's experience they heard well enough. Their skin was made up of patches of leathery bluish purple; each individual Sypont spotted or lined in a unique pattern.

"Has the magistrate been informed?" the smaller one asked, his eyes bulging outwards as he raked his gaze over Barricade.

"He has. The human will probably be put to death for his crimes," the taller one informed, neither with happiness nor regret, just stating what he believed.

"What good will that do? The multiones may revive him."

"It is not for us to question the law of things."

"What of the female?" the other asked with vague interest.

The larger one gracefully moved toward Alexis' cell before inhaling deep. "She smells different than the male. And she is a breeder," he added.

Their conversation went on regarding Alexis. The more they spoke; the closer Barricade scooted. By the time their conversation about her was through, he was riveted, his hands clasped tightly against the cell's bars.

So that was what was wrong with Alexis. That was why something felt off about her. Disgusted and anguished, he choked on the rancor he felt for the Seeker Starscream. He wouldn't let it happen. Alexis wasn't aware, and he could still prevent it.

"Is he her life mate, do you think?"

The two were back in front of Barricade. They eyed him with further curiosity. Neither were worried by how close he now was, his fingers still entangled in the rounded wooden slabs that encaged him.

"They had traveled together, but he has not gotten the female's approval to mate. Once your snout has been refined through the years, things like this will be known to you, young one."

"She did not fight us as she could have. I think she is different than this one. Not adversarial. Not a warrior."

Another Sypont slithered up to the other two.

"The magistrate has made his judgment. The male is to be put to death on the rise of the second sun. He is allowed access to the female on his last night, in case she is willing to mate him."

In response to what he was told, the older Sypont coiled his body forward and opened Barricade's cage door. He was grabbed by the younger one's tail and it wrapped around his body tight. Barricade was unable to struggle. A claw punctured his skin and for the second time that day everything went black.

* * *

"Wake up, wake up. Wake UP!"

The words came to Barricade when something sharp stung against his cheek. His eyes opened in a flash, and his hand came up and caught Alexis' own. He stopped her from slapping him again.

"Finally. As a human you aren't much of a warrior, are you?" Alexis didn't mock him, only stated what she considered true.

"They caught me unconscious. It didn't take much effort on their part."

"Yeah, well in the past, I could have never gotten the better of you." She was still angry by what he had tried to pull in their last hiding spot. That was evident in the shrill tone her voice held and the overly aggravated manner of her speech. "You are one sick bastard, you know that?" Alexis sat bent on her knees. It was dark now and bitterly cold. Alexis no longer had her pelt jacket, just the remnants of the leftover clothes she had first arrived in. She shivered as she spoke, her arms crossed over her chest as she rubbed them with her fingers.

"What was I thinking? Staying with you? The twisted mech who can only get his pleasure by force and pain and punishment and beatings. We are going to get out of here, and then I _never_ want to see you again. Try anything like that ever again and I will _kill_ you."

He didn't inform her that the Syponts intended to do just that and soon. Barricade sat up; Alexis scooted back. The cage they were in was larger than the last. Dry grass had been placed in the back for an obvious purpose. Angered that things would never end up there with her, he lashed out with his words.

"Kill me, human? You _couldn't _kill anyone."

Alexis huffed at that, her nose wrinkling in discontent. "I have killed before and you know it. You were there."

Barricade laughed. The rumble climbed up his throat, causing increased pain in his head as he shifted with the laughter. "You never killed anyone. _I_ was the one that killed those mechs, you nearly disabled them."

"You lie," she stated firmly, her eyes filling with flashes of strong emotions.

"Do I? I wanted to cause you torment. I know of your faith; I know how you perceive such things. Making you believe that you were a killer, made me feel _connected _to you," he lowered his voice, and his eyes boldy washed over her body, taking in and lingering on her skin and the shapes of her exotic body that were further emphasized by her thin clothes. Connected to her, yes, Barricade wanted to connect to her. Wanted to make her feel him and know him and never forget.

He expected Alexis to lash out or to hit him. Instead, liquid began to fall out of her eyes as she began to sob. "You are demented," she said, her mouth trembling. "Do you know how long I played that back? How long I tried to forget. How long I..." she cut herself off. "Of course you know. You know _exactly_. Why do you want me to hate you so much? Why do you keep forcing yourself on me? Can't you understand? I don't want anything to do with you. And when you touch me, I wish I were dead."

"Now _you_ are lying. I have _never _tried to force myself on you. Never tried anything that you didn't want. No femme has ever denied me, and neither shall you, human."

"Stop calling me that! Stop using that word as if it was some sort of curse. You aren't exactly the mech that you were... and..." her voice drifted away and her head shot to the side. She heard something.

When a familiar shimmering began, both knew what to expect. The feline came out of its stealth mode and silently scampered up to the cage. It watched the two. Walking around the small perimeter of their cell, it sniffed and scratched.

"What's it doing?"

"Probably looking for a way to get to us, so that it can kill us."

So he didn't exactly tell Alexis the truth about the Syponts that had captured them. They were actually a race of creatures that avoided conflict. The only reason the two had been hunted is because Barricade had hunted them first. But for him, that was always the best way to figure someone out. But regarding the Cybertronian cat that was walking around their cell, he had spoken the truth. It was a techno-organic hybrid, more dangerous than its full Cybertronian counterpart as it was not easily predictable and was capable of more free-will thinking.

They were predators, killers, hunters, a species that Barricade could identify with and understand. The cat stopped in front of Barricade and then sat on its hind legs. It watched him carefully.

"What are you looking at?" Barricade asked gruffly, ready for a confrontation.

It wasn't the tilt of the head, but the glimmer in the feline's optics. He was understood. How long had the hybrid been watching them that it decoded the English language? Long enough it seemed.

The feline continued to stare. Alexis moved closer to the side where the cat sat, inadvertently brushing against his arm. Barricade stiffened. If he didn't have prolonged contact with Alexis soon, he was going to kill someone or harm himself.

"He certainly doesn't look like he wants to kill us." She stuck her hand out of one of the bars, and then clanked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

Barricade grabbed to her arm and tried to pull it back into relative safety, but it was too late. Already, the feline was sniffing at her outstretched palm. Barricade's hand still gripped to Alexis' arm; he continued to try to pull her back. She nugged him away. The movement caused the feline to scramble back, and it took several more minutes before it returned. This time it appeared more confident. Alexis pushed her body against the cage, stretching all she could with great difficulty as she tried to touch the animal. The creature barred its fangs and Barricade was sure it was going to attack or take a bite. With that display of aggression, Barricade finally managed to pull her now shaking hand back. The feline darted.

"What is with you, female? Must you try to touch _everything_?"

She shook her hand out of his own and lifted her chin. "Yes, everything but you."

Her words were cruel, harsh, arousing and so unlike Alexis, that for once Barricade didn't know how to respond. Until he twisted the words, turning them into a triumph of sorts as he realized he was getting to her again. But he wasn't supposed to. He was supposed to stay in neutral, keep her a willing companion and compliant to what he needed. Now, he would have to rethink things.

Lost in his thoughts, he was aware enough when the feline moved again. Suddenly, it lifted a paw and sharp talons emerged. It pounced toward Barricade, swiped out and then bounded backwards.

The side of the cage Barricade had been staring through fell down on the ground, cleanly cut through. Neither he nor Alexis wasted any time as they exited.

Alexis started to run from Barricade, eager to get away from both their cage and him, and the too near hybrid cat. The feline blocked her path and then ran toward the nearby overgrowth. Stopping just short of a dense patch of trees and bushes, he growled out low. He wanted them to follow him, both of them.

That didn't stop Alexis from running in the opposite direction faster than before. The cat stretched his head to the side, pointed ears lifting tall on the back of his head. He watched her departure. Optics drifted over to Alexis' departing form and then went back to Barricade. A decision made, it activated its stealth mode and disappeared.


	61. Sequence

It was a mark of a great interrogator when one didn't have to say much, or do much to get the information they desired.

Three infinitesimal human days is what it took for Thundercracker to get what he needed from the formidable bounty hunter. Still leaking fluids and barley repaired, the Seeker began his interrogation by sitting down. Two days later he was sitting in the same spot, his optics still on Moonbreaker. Thundercracker could tell by the flashes of the mech's optics and the involuntary jerks that had nothing to do with the bounty hunter's unrepaired state, that the silence and unasked questions, as the two shared the very tight space of a cell, were becoming too much.

By the time he left the cell on the third day, TC had the information he needed: a location and a name.

It was a start.

* * *

"We are looking for Stockpile," Starscream said, his words more of a demand than an inquiry.

Where Moonbreaker sent them was probably a trap. But the bounty hunter had been so delirious and out of his processor by the time he revealed anything that Thundercracker almost believed him. The mech would get no repairs until the Seekers confirmed what they had been told. Even then, the bounty hunter's spark would not be pulsing much longer. Learning he had something to do with Alexis' disappearance meant that Starscream would not let him function any longer than necessary. The mech's type of termination was now dependent on when and how they found the human.

They were sent to a Deception recycling plant on the constructed Moon of Wardol 7. Where off-lined mechs were sent to be taken apart and melted down, usable parts repaired or upgraded and the rest up-cycled into whatever was needed at the time.

"Stockpile has not worked here for over three mega-cycles, my lord," the worker drone informed.

"Then who is your overseer?"

"He is, my lord. When we reach our maximum capacity, he comes and oversees its transport. I am able to contact him, if you wish. However, it will not be a live response but..." the monotonous vocals clipped off when Starscream interrupted.

"That will not be necessary." Starscream bent down, optics swimming over the small recycler drone. You are capable of recording and storing information pertaining to what goes on here?"

"Yes, my l..."

The drone's vocalizer died when Starscream's tubules connected with the data port below his neck juncture, his body slumping forward.

Starscream's scan didn't take long. Tubules returning to his wristguard, the Supreme Air Commander turned to them.

"His memory banks have been tampered with. Whatever is going on here is not something Stockpile wants reported back to us."

"So, what do we do next?" Skywarp piped up.

"I believe we passed the Alvars cluster on the way here didn't we?" Thundercracker spoke up, an idea springing in his processor.

"And what does that have to do with finding this mech?" Starscream asked shortly. His digits clenched into his hand and his optics strained against TC's.

Thundercracker let him know. Trying to find out information regarding the human was turning into a distracting affair for Starscream, his thinking dulled. "A Con who is assigned near a pleasure center is sure to stop there for... maintenance. Someone is bound to have seen him or have further information."

"Then we head there next," Skywarp recommended with alacrity, his whole frame perking up.

"No," Starscream shook his head adamantly. "The three of us going to such an establishment might create suspicion. Only _one_ of us will go."

The Supreme Seeker's optics trailed along the two before landing on TC.

Thundercracker should have known.

* * *

"Looking for a spin?"

He remembered the Alvars pleasure center being more opulent, more appealing, more... energizing. Even the cluster of stars that surrounded the mech-made dome seemed to have lost their shine. Thundercracker vaguely wondered if it had anything to do with Megatron's demise. The sector had once been the overlord's preferred place for rejuvenation and distraction. With the mech now gone, its upkeep and maintenance appeared abandoned.

The femme that approached him this time was more pleasing to look at than the others had been and was, according to some information he had already received, the one TC was looking for. Hardened optics livened some when she recognized him.

"Haven't had one of you Seekers in here for quite some time. It's an honor to serve you, my lord." She lowered her head submissively, bending her slim neckpiece. Strung jewels along her frame clanked as she moved, the shimmering gemstones hypnotic under the dim illumination.

"The name is Thundercracker."

Her mouthpiece angled up on the side. She used his name given as permission to look at him, which she did with an ease of one who was used to being in the presence of high-ranking individuals.

Her purple optics flashed, dazzling lines of yellow filtering through the now bright orbs. "I know. Tell me," she leaned forward, her dainty digits gliding up the length of his servo. "Is it true what they say about you and your... Trine... about the magnitude of the... _energy_ you yield?"

Thundercracker took her wandering digits off his body and clasped then tightly in his palm. She took that as encouragement, but he just wanted her to stop. Fortunately, she didn't identify his reluctance. He lowered his vocals. "Do you want a demonstration?"

The smile said it all.

She led him past the noise and the bustle of the establishment and took him to a room far in the back.

"I don't have an opportunity to use this room often," she told him. The longer she was with him; the more life seemed to come inside her. "It's specially reserved for those of your... reputation."

Entering a pass-code, the door slid open. She pulled TC inside. Lights turned on overhead, burning through the large room. It was nicer than he expected, furnished and decorated with finery.

"How do you want me?" the femme asked briskly with genuine enthusiasm.

"I don't."

The femme was perplexed but hid her disappointment well. "Then how may I serve you, Lord Thundercracker?"

"I'm not here to spark."

That didn't deter her. "Share energy then... interf.."

"No," he interrupted. "I want information."

She went to the berth. The femme stretched back on it, giving him a clear view of her form. She kept her gaze planted on him, showing Thundercracker what she wanted with the swirl of her heightened optics.

"I am looking for a mech by the designation of Stockpile."

"The recycler?" she asked, vaguely interested.

He shook his head.

She frowned but stayed with her body tilted back. "He's been throwing his creds around and trying to have some fun with the femmes. None of them will touch him. This place may have turned into a pit hole of a meeting place, but we still have our standards." Her attention wandered along his frame, diverting along the long lines of his stretched wings before drifting toward his expansive cockpit.

"Tell me where he is," he said firmly, hardly affected by the femme's obvious advances.

She got off the berth and walked to him. The femme stretched out her digits and lightly traced his cockpit. Her energy spiked, a tantalizing trail of warmth following behind. The femme smiled confidently, assured by his remaining presence and emboldened by her state of need.

"I will give you that info and more if you give me what I want." By the way she spoke there was no doubting that she was unaccustomed to being put off.

"I already told you, I am not here for that."

Again, she ignored the telling firmness in his vocals.

The femme was unconvinced. "Really?"

She leaned in; more energy collided against his frame, the eager female not bothering to hide her want of him. The femme spoke with unfiltered excitement. "You, me, a couple of cycles in this room and a burnt out vocalizer or two..."

"Actually," He moved closer. "I have something else you would desire more," he said, allowing his tone to drift down low, low enough that his vocals rumbled and spun in a provocative warble.

The femme shook her head with curiosity and eagerness. "And what would that be?"

With deftness of movement, one of his hands wrapped around her neckpiece. Not so gently he squeezed.

"To be allowed to live."

* * *

Starscream expected Thundercracker to bring the information back. He did not expect him to bring Stockpile. But after TC got out of the femme that the mech was still on the pleasure center, it was easy enough to capture him.

"You have been sending our off-lined warriors to who!?" Starscream's tone cracked and burned, causing the massive Con before him to quake on his pediforms.

"The Quintessons, my lord." the mech blustered. "They have paid me a great deal of credits, and as they are spark-less... there was no harm.. no harm at all..." the mech tried to reason. His optics darted between the three Seekers as he tried to find some way through his blunders. But he more he spoke, the more brittle Starscream's mood became.

Thundercracker could see why the mech had a hard time with the femmes. He was compressed yet bulky, his vocals sounded like they needed a major overhaul and his nervous manner and twitchy multi-servos quickly proved why he had been cast off as an overseer over the discarded.

"If you want, I can.. I can cut you in... I still have some creds left and.. and they are due to contact me again for another batch..."

The Supreme Seeker cut him off, "_You_, a mere speck of nothingness, dare call _mighty_ warriors that have served the Decepticon cause... a _batch_?" Starscream scowled. The Seeker took a oppressive step forward. The towering Con ducked his head but didn't dare move away "When?" Starscream questioned.

"When?" The Con frowned before allowing a smile to line his mouthpiece. "Oh, now. I can get you the creds now." Showing relief and thinking the worst was over, he shrugged his shoulder panels. "It's not much... but.. but.." Stockpile's vocals crashed when Starscream lifted off the tips of his peds and pulled the mech's face downward.

"When, meaning when are the Quintessons contacting you again?" Starscream unleashed a talon and scraped it along the mech's face. "When, meaning tell me everything about them and how you send anything to them." Another talon joined the second and then a third. Jagged lines were drawn along the mech's face and Energon oozed out. "When, meaning _right_ now!"

The weakling Stockpile told them everything.

Every twelve cycles the Quints opened a one way portal that Stockpile would send the off-lined Cons to. He didn't know where it went and never tried to find out. All he cared about was the vast amount of creds that showed up three cycles later.

"Two days, they are due to open another portal in two days. I already have the next bat..." he ate that word when Starscream shifted on his pediforms with great agitation. "...group ready. It's just a matter of sending them through."

After disposing of Stockpile, the three waited. The portal appeared exactly where and when the mech had said. Masking their signals, the Trine would appear off-lined. All three were laid out for delivery and the worker drones sent them through.

His sensors at minimum, Thundercracker felt extreme disarray. He didn't dare turn on his optics or activate his primary systems. Finally, the unsettling journey came to an end and then got stranger. His minimal sensory input went haywire, his tactile perception crossing over the line of the bizarre.

When his vision came on-line was when the feeling of separation and dissociation reached its peak. He hadn't been able to feel his trinemates since the journey through the portal. He still couldn't. But he didn't think he was going to any time soon.

TC was no longer a mech. He was a human. Shocked and horrified the usually stolid Thundercracker tripped over his own feet and crashed down on a mound of dirt and grass.

* * *

Maybe if he used his human form more as Starscream and Skywarp had, he wouldn't have found his new body so awkward. Somewhat eased when he discovered he wasn't human, but had been forced inside his activated holo-form, he still felt unsettling discomfort from the fleshy folds of skin. The holo-form he was in had been modified with many of its unique Cybertronian capabilities disabled while the human traits were amplified, making the illusion of humanity an overwhelming reality.

Thundercracker didn't know where he had been dropped off at. Or how he had been put where he was without being aware of the trip. But that was just the start of his confusions. Starscream and Skywarp were no where to be found. He was dressed but only in a pair of pants. His skin was exposed to the suns above, and it wasn't long until he felt the heat digging into his now delicate flesh.

Finding shelter from the suns, he sat down near a scraggly patch of bushes. He was trying to make sense of things, but his mind couldn't seem to wrap around a thought long enough before another came. TC was not used to such disarray in his own mind. And could not fathom what purpose the instigated and engineered discombobulation served.

The suns set overhead and a chill settled on his flesh. Cold winds blew, bringing with it strange smells of vegetation and growth. The scents were so pronounced and vivid that the abrupt change in climate was momentarily forgotten. Soon enough he realized he couldn't stay where he was. His arms wrapping around his naked chest, TC shivered and shook. Luckily, he was able to walk. And by the time he had journeyed a good mile, he had complete control over his legs.

Thundercracker heard the sound of branches breaking behind him. He turned but not quick enough. Something pushed him against his back. Losing stability in his legs, TC fell.

From the dark, a familiar silhouette of a figure walked around in front.

"I'm _so_ sorry. I thought you were someone else. I haven't seen any other humans around here before, but I guess it makes sense that there is more than just me and... _him_." She leaned down and TC reluctantly allowed her to help him up. For reasons unknown, her cheeks flushed with color. "Wow, you must be freezing. We need to get you out of this cold before you get sick or something... Can you walk?"

"I believe so, Alexis."

"You... you know me?" She leaned forward, peering at him as she took a closer look. Her fingers traced near his face but didn't touch. A curious expression shadowed her face before she took a couple of abrupt steps back. "Thundercracker? Thundercracker! You've found me!" When she threw her arms around TC and gave him his first hug, the heat returned to his body.


	62. Modification

Alexis didn't feel well.

That revelation came suddenly. Bolting away from the tree she had slept under and half running to a patch of thick bushes, she leaned over and violently expelled everything that had the misfortune of being in her stomach.

Not feeling better, she wobbled down on her knees. Branches lined her skin with superficial cuts, causing small stings to join the physical feeling of discombobulation. Folding into herself, head pressing hard against her knees, she breathed slowly.

This was new.

Several long minutes passed. Luckily, it wasn't as cold of a night as it usually was. But it was cold enough to stretch through and bury some of the strangeness that enveloped her suddenly unfamiliar body. The uncomfortable feeling and distortion slowly ebbed away from her body. Able to get back to her feet, she returned to where she had been. Her eyes latched onto Thundercracker's. He said nothing to her from where he sat still wide awake, just turned his head to the side, eyes shining with confusion.

Shaking her head because she didn't want to explain nor hear the sound of her own voice, she lied back down, arms shifting around her belly until she was finally claimed by sleep.

* * *

She was disappointed that Thundercracker had been the one to find her. Being with someone besides Barricade was obviously appreciated. But he wasn't Starscream.

He was different from how she remembered. She only saw him that one time during the fourth of July celebration, but who he was now, after careful consideration, was probably exactly how he had appeared that time. However, she knew without a doubt that he wasn't human like Barricade. She could feel the energy for the first time in several long months, that familiar signature that identified him for whom he was. It wasn't unpleasant, but upon discovery had been jarring. Feeling all that again was if a third eye had been attached back to her head, another realm opening once more that she was able to peer through.

First thing Alexis did after waking the next morning was to make Thundercracker a shirt. Using large leaves, twines of adapted vines and a handmade wooden needle, she made a passable article of clothing. The only tricky part was that the shirt had to initially be made loose. The leaves would shrink under the suns, but once they had they turned leathery in texture, harder than cotton, but comfortable enough to wear in the heat and warm enough to take the chill of the nights.

It had been an accident that she had discovered the large leaves could be used for more than just a makeshift blanket. Alexis had to do some experimenting before she had finally gotten the process right. Amazing, the things that could come to one when they were half asleep. But she had to adapt and adapt quickly after separating herself from Barricade.

After discovering Thundercracker the night before, she had learned of what had happened since her abduction. The only thing she could really focus on was that Starscream had to be on the dome as well, and the sooner she found him the sooner they could leave.

Alexis was sorry to hear of the trouble they had because of Moonbreaker, but wasn't really surprised. And she was glad to hear news of her parents. Gone for so long, she had never really allowed herself to focus on the loneliness. Seeing Thundercracker though, the well put together version of humanity that had enough of a resemblance to how Starscream had appeared, Alexis felt desire alight through her bloodstream. She couldn't help staring at the Decepticon. Couldn't stop her thoughts from wandering and her heart from rocking through her chest. She had to stop herself from putting her fingers through his dark hair, from allowing her hands to linger on his defined arms and lean against his masculine body. She missed the feeling of a man. Missed the closeness. Missed the warmth and familiarity. Alexis didn't know how much she missed the intimacy until she saw the Seeker.

Flushing from that wayward thought, Alexis was grateful that Thundercracker couldn't see her face from where he was walking beside her. She hadn't felt this way earlier when she had helped him get the shirt on. And she didn't know what had happened in the last couple of hours that made her want to grab hold of that man beside her and hold on _tight_.

Of course, when she envisioned that happening, it wasn't Thundercracker that she was holding on to but Starscream. But things were getting ridiculous. And if she found herself glancing at the Seeker one more time, she was going to shriek in frustration.

And she did shriek, but not from frustration but from pain. Tripping over her own feet, black spots marred her vision. Pain, worse than the night before and so intense that she felt as if her body had been dipped in acid, invaded her body and dug in her skin.

Thundercracker was trying to say something to her. He must have touched her for the pain increased, and her shriek eroded into a yowl of tortured screams. Tears were welling in her eyes. The released liquid burned down her sensitized skin.

She was picked up. The added contact was horrendous. Screaming so hard that she though her throat was going to rupture, the darkness fell back and the pain lessened.

"Alexis? Alexis?" His voice softened and a level of intimacy was produced when he said her name for the third time. "Alexandra?"

She opened her eyes. The pain was gone. That was the good thing. Something warm was dripping down her face, hand swiping it off, she found her fingers stained in red.

"I... I am fine now," she let him now. Now more aware, she realized how strange it was to see him worried and how awkward that made her feel.

However, she _was_ perfectly fine. Not a glimmer of the pain she had felt remained only a little soreness in her throat and a strange discomfort in her left foot.

Oddly enough, Thundercracker identified that. Pushing the bottom of her pant's leg up, his fingers pressed against the skin of her ankle. The worry she was sure she had heard and seen on him, died a quick death. His brows lifted and his voice leveled out into an even inflection of observation.

"This isn't good," he informed her.

Hearing Thundercracker of all people say that was not auspicious.

"This wasn't here last night when I scanned you," the Seeker added.

Her head shot up and Alexis caught Thundercracker's eyes. His skin tinted with a peachy hue as her gaze lingered.

She bit on her lip before shaping her mouth into a frown. "You scanned me last night? Why? And how... how thorough a scan?"

He kept her gaze, but his tone dropped curiously low. "I am only capable of a minimum exam, but enough that I can see you have been implanted with a prisoner's transport chip."

Alexis cringed. Bypassing how that had even happened, she went toward the next obvious question.

"Which is?"

He started to draw on the dirt ground, clear pictures made as he explained. Diverted by what he was doing, and the idea that she would have never believed him capable of anything artistic, it took her a moment to catch up with what he was saying.

"A device used during the transport of a prisoner. The prisoner wears one and the guard. If the prisoner leaves a certain range of the guard..." He used his fingers and swiped through all he had just drawn, effectively erasing everything. "Well, you know the result. And it looks as if it has been adapted for the other to feel pain as well. But who is wearing the other one? Barricade perhaps?" He swiped his fingers on his pants; lines of dirt painted on his thigh.

She had told Thundercracker of Barricade, none too thrilled with the contemplative silence that had followed. At least, he didn't ask any questions about what the two had done in all the months. If he had been Skywarp... well, she was just glad she had been spared... for the moment. She was still angry at herself for staying with the hunter for such a length of time. But when the time came to tell, she had nothing to hide.

"Who else?" she answered dryly. Alexis had only been separated from Barricade for a couple of days before Thundercracker showed up. And she had managed to maintain a good distance. He was following her. She knew that. That was why she had to keep moving. However, Alexis did feel better now that she had a Seeker with her.

"These Quintessons are proving as devious as history has recorded." He examined her foot again, fingers tracing where he believed the chip to be. His hand dropped away when Alexis' fingers grazed his own. Touching her ankle, she tried to feel the thing that had been planted in her flesh. Mildly creeped out and deeply disturbed, she felt the unwelcome sense of déjà vu.

"Can you take it out?"

"Cut it out?" he rephrased.

She winced and shook her head.

"No. There are probably measures to prevent that, and without knowing the risks involved, it would be dangerous to try."

Alexis was staring at him again. His words softened and faded away. He had nice eyes, a bluish-green that appeared less severe than Alexis remembered. But that wasn't why she was staring at him. It was because even though he was still standoffish and aloof in that way he always managed, she didn't feel as out of place as she usually could with him.

Alexis smiled, maybe something positive had come out of her time away.

"Did I miss something?" he asked of her, those observant eyes of his wandering along her frame.

Her smile widened. "No. I am just glad someone is here with me, even if it's you."

That didn't come out quite right. What Alexis didn't expect was for his shoulders to pinch, his fingers to bend inwards.

His mouth curled down and his inflections turned brittle. "We'll find Starscream soon enough, and then you will no longer be burdened by my company."

"I didn't mean it like that..." she tried to explain.

Thundercracker shrugged it off but didn't look at her.

* * *

Before they found Starscream, the two were going to have to find Barricade. It was Thundercracker who had explained that to her. And while Alexis knew it, she didn't want to hear it. Finding him should have been easy. Just go in the opposite direction of the pain. But now that she actually had to find that hunter, he was nowhere to be seen.

The warm day turned into a too cold night. Finding a tree, they settled underneath. One of the things she had learned not long after her arrival was that trees on the dome, or the earth surrounding them, were warm, warm enough that hypothermia or frostbite were not a concern as long as trees were nearby.

But it had been an hour or two, and Thundercracker wouldn't stop shivering. He may not have been human, but the grade of holo-form he was stuck with had more of those tendencies. Getting up, she rounded the tree and approached him from the front before getting down on her knees. He stiffened and sat up straighter, his back stretching along the thick bark of the tree.

"Let me help," she grabbed his hands and rubbed them together. He watched her closely. She did it again. Alexis pointed to his shirt. "If you rub your chest like I did with your hands, you'll be okay."

Slowly, he placed his hands over his clothed chest and then began the movement. She chuckled but stopped when Thundercracker appeared affronted.

"I'm sorry." She bit on the smile that was wanting to appear and tried hard not to laugh. "I should have explained better. You need to rub your _bare_ chest."

His eyebrows shot up and his mouth became rigid. He carefully glanced at the lines of her own upper body.

"I don't see you doing such a thing. How do you stay warm?"

"I guess I am used to it by now. Also, I sleep on my side. That helps seep in the heat that the roots of the tree create."

"I don't need to sleep."

"That may be, but sitting all night isn't going to help... of course if you don't need to sleep... keeping in motion helps, you could walk or exercise or..." He looked at her with stern disbelief. She slightly changed the subject. "And we don't have to worry about predators, and the Syponts are afraid of water... and well..." She pointed toward the nearby stream. "We have that covered."

His frown deepened. Arms brought rigidly before his chest, he pointed. "Go. Sleep. I will manage. This form is just more... human than I am accustomed to."

"I would, but your chattering teeth are keeping me up."

"My teeth do not... _chatter_."

She frowned. The more she tried to help, the more adversarial he became. Tired from all that day's walking and still recovering from the pain, she tried to keep her thoughts aligned with the idea of seeing Starscream again. And while that thought did make her intensively happy, it didn't make Thundercracker stop looking at her the way that he now was.

"Look. I am just trying to help. But if you want to freeze your butt off... go for it."

"The temperature is not as such that _any_ of my anatomy would freeze off."

It wasn't what he said, but _how_ he said it. The rumble started as a chuckle and ended in a roaring of a laugh. Tears prickling at the corner of her eyes, she grabbed her stomach until it subsided, feeling better than she had in a long time.

Thundercracker leaned forward and grabbed her wrists. Startled by the action, Alexis was further confused when he shoved her toward him then rolled over her as he brought her along. They stopped. Her head shifted to where Thundercracker had just been. A still vibrating spear stuck out of the bark. Bending her head backwards, a form approached them. No, not one form but two, Barricade and the hybrid feline.

Thundercracker shoved her out of the way and Barricade attacked.


	63. Impeded

Barricade's kind of misery wanted company.

But the kind he was left with, Alexis switched out for a half-breed organic Cybertronian cat, was not what he had in mind. All the animal did was follow along and eat Barricade's food, something that Alexis had done as well, but at least she was something stirring to look at.

It slept nearby. Even in stealth mode, the human Decepticon was aware of the creature's presence. He kept his fashioned knife close to his stomach, the other hand holding a sharpened stick. No place to stick his head now that his hands and arms were in preparation for battle, he was left with a patch of thick grass that had looked comfortable enough, but proved to only itch and aggravate his flesh. Angered but unwilling to move, he welcomed the discomfort with a firm resolve. And still he couldn't stop himself from turning his neck to the side and looking for a figure that was not there.

After their escape, he had been able to track her at first, but lost her sooner than he should have. Cold and miserable afterward, he decided it was best to keep busy with preparing new weapons and familiarizing himself with the territory. Avoiding the searching Syponts, he climbed a large, rooty tree, finding warmth in the branches and an advantage in view.

The next day he scrounged for more food, hungrily eating half of it right away before carefully pocketing the rest. A low rumble of sound caught his attention. The feline came into view, scratching on the ground and ears bending backwards.

"You here to kill me?" Barricade openly taunted. The creature could pounce, swipe out and kill him with a few precise aims. The Decepticon hunter wanted him to try, was waiting for him to try. Pulling his blade out and stretching his staff forward and down, Barricade dared the animal with a sharp twist of his hand before straightening the fashioned weapon outwards.

The animal only pawed at the ground again and mewled louder. His optics swept over Barricade and lingered on the pouch the Con had made to carry his food in.

"I give you food and what do I get it return, _half-breed_?"

The animal stilled. Before Barricade could taunt him further, the cat jumped off his hind legs and swiped through the staff, forcing the Decepticon flat on his back while immobilizing him with two large paws.

The two stared at one another. The creature hadn't forgotten that Barricade had tried to kill him. Growling loud and barring razor-sharp teeth, with the well-placed position of the paws on the delicate areas of his chest, Barricade was sure his end was near. Scoffing at the animal because he had died before and lived through it, he waited for the inevitable.

Only the creature backed away, one of the paws dragging the pouch of food along with him. Tearing the bag open, the cat ate all Barricade's food. That was how he ended up making his second staff. The Decepticon made sure the weapon was more solid and sharpened than the last.

It was the second night that Barricade had been able to sleep. He only knew that because he had been awakened by the too familiar sounds of growling. But the warning grumbles were not aimed at him. His inferior eyes latched onto departing shadows. The cat took off in a flash of speed and raced after the exiting figures, returning not long after with something held between his teeth. Releasing the object several feet in front of Barricade, the feline huffed through his nose while his long barbed tail shifted back and forth in the air behind him.

Getting up, Barricade picked up the object. It was an injector module that was specifically designed for mercenaries and prisoner facilities. Tracing his fingers around his leg and moving down, he found the chip that had been implanted in him. He was sick and tired. Sick of his weak human body that could sleep through such a procedure. Tired of being caught off guard and proving wanting. He was not accustomed to such faulty equipment and flawed sensors.

He adjusted the knife and sliced into his flesh around the chip to remove it. The pain that followed as the chip reacted and dug into his body further had him convulsing and his muscles bundling. It wasn't coming out. That didn't stop Barricade from wondering who had been implanted with the other, for these sort of devices always came in pairs.

* * *

He knew the Quints had implanted the chip. No one else on the dome was capable of such a feat or capable of such technology. How they could have the audacity to attack him so openly, left him burning with anger. He reviled the Quintessons, hated the dome, hated that he was there, and that he had to allow himself to be used. At least until his plans of retribution were carried out, and he got his body back. He wasn't one to feel appreciation for anything. And the fact that the vile creatures had saved him, did not leave him feeling grateful but resentful. They should have left him in the nothingness pit of a void that he had been in.

The idea of the girl though, had changed everything. The promise of owning her, too tantalizing a thought to give up on. But was it he that brought Alexis up or the Quints? Still, too many areas were void of information, and his arrival on the dome and the details that followed, far too cloudy. Either way, he knew one thing absolutely: the Quintessons had far too much information.

It was the third day of walking along and stewing inwardly that the pain came. It struck him unaware, tangling his feet and forcing him on the ground as he bent against his staff until it fell forward from his added pressure, forcing him down on the dry dirt as he shook and trembled. A memory came, one he realized was his own. Ever since his arrival upon the dome, his processor, no, his brain was not as sharp as he remembered, another dysfunction that served to irritate him.

The memory became clearer. He was on the planet Refunt, bound and hanging above a vat of Tryvarian acid. His pediforms had already been dissolved in the virulent liquid, a warning for him to speak. It had been one of his first missions for Megatron and his capture and torture had been planned. He was a diversion, a mere distraction. But that wasn't going to stop him from serving his Lord. He remained silent when the security forces began to lower him and remained silent even as pain through pain assaulted and took over every circuit and panel, throttling through every juncture and relay. He could feel the acid dissolving his metallic flesh and smell the burning smoke of his own body as it dissembled.

That was how he felt now. But there would be no Megatron to save his aft, no Decepticon forces to stop his body from lowering in the vat of acid. He was drowning in it. Dying in it. Liquid released from his eyes and burned hot trails down his flesh. Barricade couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He could only feel the pain peel away at his flesh and eat it and dig in further.

The pain slowly relented.

Sitting upright and blinking back the black patches that assaulted his eyes, he smiled wide.

* * *

Using the implanted chip as a homing device, he was able to move about with more purpose, his steps guided by the pain that helped him pick the right course.

He would find her. It had to be Alexis that held the other chip. He wouldn't allow himself to think any other way. Things only made sense when she was involved. Things would make sense again.

But to find her with someone else, a male at that, had left Barricade blinded by an infuriating dark emotion that made his insides burn without any need from the chip.

He followed them for a full day and watched them interact. Barricade watched her help him and guide the male with her voice affectionate and jarringly sweet. Whoever he was, the male wasn't Starscream. Through various equipment and hand-picked infiltrators, he had surveyed and spied on the Autobots and the Seekers all those many cycles ago and observed when the three Seekers made their appearance on that fourth of July celebration, all arriving as humans. But his human mind couldn't bring up the details clearly enough. He knew how Starscream appeared as a human, but... Why did he believe she was with one of the Seekers? It was because the human seemed familiar. Finally, as if his brain was suddenly willing to release the information, he was able to place the male. He was Thundercracker.

That didn't stop the bitter emotion in his belly. There was something about the way the two interacted and how she looked at him that made his heart rate increase and his breathing turn shallow.

When they finally settled for the night, he watched the two prepare for sleep underneath a tree. He felt a grudge at that. He was the one who had taught Alexis of the dome and the things it offered, such as the heat from the roots. But she had been smart enough to figure out on her own that the large leafs from the Burgont tree were usable as articles of clothing. How quickly she adapted and learned when she was away from him.

It wasn't until Alexis approached the shivering Thundercracker, grabbing his hands and rubbing them together, that the bitterness in the back of his throat made his mouth push into a hard line. And when she laughed at the Seeker's foolish actions that followed, it took well-honed resolve not to react. He wanted to hear what they were talking about. But by the time Alexis started to laugh for the second time, a lighthearted and warming sound that Barricade had never heard from her, he had enough.

That was when he brought his staff up and threw it. He wouldn't have missed if he wasn't human. He knew that with certainty. And as Thundercracker avoided the staff and dragged Alexis along with him, his body rolling over hers before pushing her out of the way, seeing that unnecessary contact was enough to send his blood pumping.

He attacked.

The two men rolled; branches crashed into their skin, the cold ground seeping away whatever warmth they had. Head crashing forward, his skull collided against Thundercracker's. His hands crawled upwards until his fingers dug against the Seeker's neck. He pressed and pushed while trying to find purchase so he could twist and finish. He knew human anatomy enough to know that their necks were a very weak point. A quick twist and things would be done. Settling firmly on top of the Seeker, he continued his assault, finding the Seeker's reactions slow and awkward. Just when his fingers found where they needed to be, something struck him from behind. Thundercracker used that opportunity. He kicked Barricade away and scooted back. Pulling out his knife, Barricade didn't hold on to it long, a foot struck out and sent the weapon spiraling.

"Leave him alone!"

Alexis pushed him back. He advanced again. Her eyes darted on the ground, and the two identified the knife at the same time. They both shot toward it, but it was Alexis, who got there first. Painfully crashing down on her knees, she grabbed the blade.

"Back away," she demanded after she sprang back up on her feet.

A smile crept over his face as Barricade complied. His eyes wandered along her frame, the familiarity of her female body making the tightness in his chest ease up.

Slowly standing, Alexis kept the weapon aimed.

"Don't move," she warned.

She made her way to Thundercracker.

"Are you okay, Thundercracker?"

It was the movement of her hand that Barricade noticed. How it flattened along the Seeker's arm and searched for damage, an intimate gesture that made the last of his already tainted resolve crack.

Moving forward, he had the knife out of her hand before she even knew he was there, had her on her feet and facing him before she could say a thing. Had his mouth on hers and his hands moving possessively along her body long before the shock caught up with her. He didn't let go when she tried to scream out and get him off. Nor when Thundercracker attacked from behind, which he efficiently thwarted. She bit him and blood lined his mouth. The flavor of it only heightened the feel of her. The taste of the coppery liquid was a reminder of another time he had her under his control. His body bristled and his heart thumped. Using her fingernails she dug and clawed, using her knee, she pushed him back. He caught her hands and closed the gap.

When he stopped for a moment, gauging her reaction and catching her raging eyes, it was when she looked to the right that he believed he was about to be attacked by Thundercracker again. That was his mistake. Loosening his hold is when Alexis moved. She pushed his legs apart, her right foot moving between his ankles, before it pushed forward. Distracted by her stimulating movements, he was falling back before he could line up her actions with a defense gesture. That didn't stop him from pulling her with him.

They fell hard on the ground. Momentarily winded, he watched Alexis crawl to the unmoving Thundercracker.

"Impossible," she breathed. Alexis tried to nudge Thundercracker back into consciousness, but he didn't budge.

Barricade grabbed her ankle and pulled her back, grabbed the other and flipped her around.

"He's not even human, and still I defeat him," Barricade gloated.

The Con slipped his body above her, using his weight and superior strength to halt most the struggling. She got out from under him, running a few short feet before he charged at her, threw her on the ground and settled back on top.

Months of doing nothing. Months of wanting her, needing her and forced to just travel and settle for those moments when she was unaware of his presence as he glimpsed and spied on her through bushes and trees.

The Quintessons had tamed him, forcing him into submission for what he believed they would ultimately give him. But what Barricade wanted, he could get on his own. And what he needed, he would figure out how to get back after he resolved the too long burning and stiffening of his body.

Shredding through her jacket with his pointed fingers, he relieved her of the outer garment. A thin strapped shirt appeared from underneath, diverting his attention with the way it molded and formed to her upper body. His fingers pushed underneath one of the straps, his other hand holding her hands as his knees kept her legs in line. But Alexis was fighting too hard. When his finger connected with the flesh of her shoulder and moved, she bit into his arm, jabbed him with her knees and twisted his fingers in her hands. Shifting her weight, she rolled him over before bringing both her arms together and jabbing down hard with the bony tips of her elbows.

She ran.

Watching her departing form was far too tantalizing. Old programming reawakened as he stood to his feet.

A chase, it would be.

* * *

Alexis could run fast. But so could he. And as his thoughts drifted to the time he saw a pair of Syponts mating, the male holding the female from behind as he made her submit; he ran even quicker.

He would have her. She would submit to him. And by the time Alexis did give into him, she would be so blinded by her own needs that who she was with would no longer matter.

Passing through a gap of trees, a stick came out of nowhere. It broke in half and Barricade flew forward, rolling and crashing down a steep hill. Unaffected, he shook the pain off and stood to his feet.

"No need to run from me, Alexis," Barricade let his voice echo and build, his eyes watching for movement. "You knew it would come to this between us, you knew there could only be one conclusion."

He waited and nothing. Finally, shadows shifted and moved in the corner of his right eye. The chase began again. When he lost her again, he knew he had to alter his plan.

* * *

Barricade ran with the darkness. Pushed by unfulfilled lust and the torment of almost having the female, he was still running when the first sun came up and illuminated his sweat-drenched body. The pain came with the second sun, and still he ran. By the time the pain became overwhelming, he was where he had aimed for. A cliff was before him that he had passed that very day. He had decided. Now was the time to act. Now was the time to end things. Before the Seekers found her... before Starscream found her and figured things out. Barricade's last touch upon her had cemented that thought. He would take her and have the ultimate revenge on the Seekers.

"Stop."

A gust of wind brushed coolly against Barricade before the blinding suns above dissipated the uncommon breeze. Looking down, he saw rocks and a raging pool of water. He could hear the sounds of the rough waters lapping against the borders of land, violently colliding against the patches of dirt only to repeat the movement again.

Barricade turned around.

Thundercracker stood several feet away. Alexis, unconscious and not moving was settled in his arms. He gently put her down.

"What do you think you are doing?" the Seeker inquired.

Barricade knew exactly what he was doing. He would not remain human. And with the way the Quintessons had acted thus far, he couldn't see them giving him anything unless it somehow fit the game they were playing. A game that Barricade would no longer be a part of. He wasn't feeling morose or depressed, just saw things in their place with logic and reasoning that had escaped him for sometime.

"I see the way you look at her," Barricade spoke slowly, feeling calmed and decided; he had a moment to spare. "You dislike her, resent her, wish she never existed. Give her to me. Tell Starscream she was killed, tell her... she didn't survive."

The ever talkative Thundercracker only had one word to spare for that.

"No."

And then he added to it when there was no need.

"I don't dislike her."

That didn't make sense to Barricade. But he no longer needed to make sense of things. He would jump. He would die. And in doing so, he would take Alexis with him and have his revenge on Starscream. For his death, thanks to the chip, meant her death. At least in the end, he and Alexis would be connected.

Turning, he took his last step forward. A force seized him and something sharp impacted. Barricade's hands went down to his stomach where he found his blade sticking out. It wouldn't be enough to kill him, but enough to stop him. Even now, he was tricked and diverted as he was manipulated toward a path contrary to the one he wanted to take.

A fuzzy person advanced, stepping into the steadily falling shadows with Barricade. "I was told I can't kill you. But rest assured, Barricade, I will soon enough."

Momentarily, the fuzz cleared, allowing the hunter to see his attacker. But there was really no need, the moment Starscream spoke, Barricade knew that he had lost his chance to act.


	64. Influence

Starscream was delirious.

Alexis had finally shifted into an uneasy sleep and had now been asleep for a couple of hours, the pain she had been through exhausting her energy reserves. Holding her close and staring unflinchingly, he marveled at the female.

Everything was about to change. That was understood as her body curled against his own, sensors busy and scans revealing. Frightened because of what it would mean and terrified because of what problems it would cause for her, he wondered if she was aware of what was occurring and how long she had. No matter what, she had to survive. If she didn't, if she was taken from him, he would blame himself the rest of his existence. But to live without Alexis wouldn't be existence, but purgatory, and only suffering and emptiness awaited him in that pit.

He loved her, and knew what love _meant_ because of her. He loved her more than himself, more than anything he could hope to accomplish or wish to become. He would sacrifice an important part of his future for her, prevent her from taking any course than had a glimmer of taking her away from him. But Alexis had already taken the first steps on the unknown path without him, and was already showing signs of influence. The anger she directed at him before she was abducted, the illness Thundercracker spoke of, and her energy reading that he could ascertain enough to know that she was afflicted with disturbing, awe-inspiring change.

Thundercracker and Skywarp didn't know about Alexis, but it seemed his fellow Seekers had fewer capabilities than his own holo-form. Why or for what reason, didn't matter at the moment.

Alexis shifted, moaned and her eyes flashed open. Sitting upright, one hand went to her mouth and the other to her stomach. She began to breathe heavily and made the motion to stand. Starscream eased her back down, his hand moving underneath her own and settling on her midsection. In her eyes, he saw immediate relief from the discomfort.

"Starscream," she whispered groggily.

He brushed his hand along the soft skin on her forehead. "Shh, Alexandra. Go back to sleep."

Alexis shifted her body to the side and bent along his own. His arms wrapping around her slim frame, she was back asleep in moments.

* * *

Not letting her go, he held to Alexis as the two talked after she woke. Granted, it was not the activity that he had in mind for when he saw her again, but the sound of her voice was riveting. His fingers wrapping in her hair, he twisted the long tendrils round and round, his other hand drifting lazily along the curve of her thigh as he watched that full mouth of hers move. She spoke softly, an alluring inflection curling along the tips of her words.

Moving his hand to the middle of her back, he enticed her closer.

"I believe we have conversed long enough, little one."

His fingers dropped her hair, winded down her head and brushed against her mouth. She inhaled sharply, color rushing into her cheeks and her eyes turning glassy.

She pulled back, speaking with haste, "Wait. I believe you are you. But what if you aren't you? I mean... I think that has happened before, and I just don't want to..."

He moved his mouth near her ear and whispered what she wanted to hear, telling her something that he, her only lover would know. She gasped and reddened.

Using his new position, he dropped his lips along the curve of her neck, biting softly to hear her affecting gasp again. He had been ready for her since before she woke up, and had thought the activity through so many times that as she questioned and talked and wanted to know all, he had to answer with an automatic response as his body continued to throb with stimulation.

Rolling her alongside him, his fingers accidentally brushed against the scratches and bruises on her arms. Alexis flinched and her head turned away.

"Alexis?" he didn't want to ask. He didn't want her to answer. If she did, he would have to stop.

"I'm okay, Starscream. I just..."

She grimaced when he came closer and his legs brushed against her own. Backing away, he moved down to her feet and drew up the hem of her pants. Purple and blue blotches lined her flesh from where Barricade had grabbed her.

Angered but tying to remain calm and not allow her to see how upset he was, he spoke slowly, enunciating his words carefully, "You haven't healed."

Earlier, he had personally seen to her injuries and believed that to be the end of it.

Alexis shook her head. "I don't anymore, not like I used to. And..." She frowned. "And I can't feel you guys like I used to, although, since I met up with Thundercracker... I have felt _something_."

"You're rambling again."

"Only because I am overwhelmed at seeing you again, and because the way you touch me... God, I have forgotten what you feel like and the dreams I have had of you didn't do you justice, nor felt what it feels like right now. I just can't believe I can't... touch you, not like I want to." Alexis sat up, dragging her feet away from him.

"There are other things we can do," Starscream said calmly, he lied back down and motioned for Alexis to join him.

"Other things," she echoed as she stared at him in awe, her eyes wandering down his frame and slowly back up. She bent backwards, lying next to him, her shoulder softly pressed against his own.

Starscream connected one of his hands with hers, the other lazily wandering above the ache that pulsed below his belly.

"Speak to me. Tell me what you have thought of doing to me," he ordered huskily. His urgency for the female was reaching and building into a painful sensation that could only be resolved one way, and he needed Alexis to assist him.

She shifted and rolled her head, checking the area to make sure it was clear. By the color that had returned to her cheeks, he was sure she was going to refuse, or maybe didn't understand what he was asking.

But when she spoke next, her voice honeyed and her tone sultry, her fingers clenched around his hand and moved. She had a lot of time to think of what she wanted with him, and she spared no details. Words poured out of her, their nature turning the innocent girl he had known and upgrading her to a dangerous seductress. Burning and fully aroused, Alexis' ardent descriptions sent him flying high until red heat claimed him.

* * *

Being stuck with only Skywarp after his arrival on the dome in human form had been trying. But not killing Barricade was worse than that. But just because he couldn't kill the hunter did not mean he couldn't _talk_ to him. And even if his conversations were one-sided, it did allow for a little _venting_.

Starscream had told Alexis to stay away from Barricade. So finding her bent near the incapacitated Con as she looked at his wounds and gashes was not what he wanted to see and angered him. Stepping back when Alexis started to speak, he moved behind a large tree and listened in.

Thundercracker, who had been guarding the Con from a distance, started to walk forward. Signaling his wingmate, he motioned for him to back away.

"Who did this to you?" Alexis asked.

"You mean, who _didn't_ do this to me," Barricade rasped. "Starscream must have less of a regard for you than I though. He could take things too far, and he could end me... and _kill _you."

Alexis didn't say anything to that, just tended to his injuries quickly while making sure not to touch him any more than she needed to.

Leaning forward as much as his bonds would allow, Barricade dropped his voice a level as he made an inquiry. "Did you tell Starscream about us?"

Alexis merely shook her head, but her tone turned subtly venomous. "_Us_, is _not_ a word I would ever choose to use with you."

Barricade smiled, and malignant humor lined his words with mirth."Yet you keep coming back to me." He motioned to where she was cleaning off a large cut on his arm. "Keep _helping_ me..."

"Only because it's not right to allow others to suffer, no matter _who_ they are. You think I want to help you? Be thankful my parents raised me right."

The Con's predatory eyes moved along the feminine lines of her body before his lips curled into a tight smile. "Have you told _him_ of our relationship?"

Alexis huffed at that, her fingernails scraping along one of Barricade's gashes, causing the Con to flinch, but his eyes did not leave her face.

"You've broken my wrist, choked me, beat me, belittled me, toyed with me, tried to use me and kept me as a slave, you really think that is a relationship?"

Barricade was silent for a long stretch of a moment, his eyes darting to look at Alexis then down at the grass, then back at her face with tortured uncertainty. "I love you," he finally rasped out.

Alexis pulled back and shook her head. It took her a moment to compose herself so she could speak. "Barricade, you don't know anything about love," she said and the pity was evident. Alexis made a motion to leave.

Barricade snapped forward, the leathery ropes of the organic vines they had used to tie him up, wrestling him back against the tree.

This time when the Con spoke, his tone was acidic and intense, the bend of his words mutated by jealousy and animosity. "And you think _Starscream_ does? You think I am abominable..." he altered his words when he saw her shrinking back. By the time she was up on her feet and moving away, he found what to say to make her stop.

"How do you know that is _really _Starscream? Anyone can hijack a holo-form. Anyone can copy one. I should know; it worked quite well with you once." He sneered, his mouth turning into a vicious grin. "Have you allowed him to touch you? To have you? Have you allowed this imposter to bring you to pleasure in the body of your," he choked on the word but managed to spit it out with distaste, "mate?"

"He _is_ Starscream," Alexis finally spoke. "You know that as well as I."

"Yes, tell yourself that the next time he moves against you." He chuckled darkly. "Or maybe it doesn't matter who claims you, maybe all that matters is..."

The words were cut off. And as Starscream began to pummel into Barricade, he didn't know if he would be able to stop. Fortunately, he knew Thundercracker was nearby and capable of interceding.

* * *

"You are going to take us to the Quintessons, lead us to where they are, and perhaps I will..."

Barricade interrupted with a darkened chuckle, "What, _kill _me? You've had your Trine already perform _that _task." He sneered with contempt. "Perhaps this time you can _manage_ to do it yourself?"

"You've grown quite talkative since last we spoke."

Barricade glanced behind Starscream to where Alexis stood beside Skywarp. After the too short, one-sided tussle, the Supreme Air Commander had calmed himself enough to approach Barricade alone. Alexis was uneasy and conflicted, but she remained where she was. She hated the Con; Starscream knew that, but it was in her nature to protect the unworthy, even when she didn't want to.

"We both know that as long as she is here, you won't do anything... too permanent."

The Seeker smiled wide, delighting in the unease that vibrated along the hunter's ridged shoulders. "I'm going to kill you. There is no changing that."

The corner of Barricade's mouth lifted, his eyes dripping with defiance."Then perhaps I could give you more of a reason to try." He leaned forward as much as he could, daring to invade Starscream's personal space as he began to boast. "I have tasted Alexis. I know the feel of her mouth moving on my flesh, know the sounds of pleasure that can come from her lips, know...

Starscream balled up his fist and shot it forward, halting a mere inch from Barricade's nose. The hunter's eyes slowly drifted to the Seeker's whitened knuckles, his eyelids dropping low in defense.

"You know _nothing_. Trying to force yourself on my female does not give you a reason to boast. If anything it shows you for the scum you are."

"Force myself? Her body stirs for me."

"Yes, in revulsion."

Starscream dropped his hand and slowly smiled. He was learning quickly that every time he did, Barricade's unease, which he was unable to hide as well as he once did, would multiply and build.

The Seeker spoke with calm derision, "They have your body. You want it back. You lead us to the Quintessons and I will allow you to return to it before I terminate you, so your end can be found with a smidgen of dignity."

Barricade's mouth drew into a tense line. "She tells you too much. Nothing you offer could possibly make me assist you."

Starscream smiled again.

Leaning forward while strategically angling his body to block what he was about to do from Alexis, he pushed his fingers against the gash he had delivered days previously. Fresh blood seeped from the bandaged wound, trickling slowly along his fingers.

"You are human, Barricade, vulnerable, fragile. Take me where I want to know, or I will punish you severely." He pushed harder, hard enough to make the overly proud warrior pale and gasp.

"Then do so," the Con lashed out, his face turning completely white. "Let Alexis see how much pleasure you get from violence, how you get off on tormenting others. Let her see who you _really_ are."

"She knows who I am."

Barricade chuckled at that, air hissing hard out of his lungs. "If she really knew you, really _knew_ the things you have done, she would reject you far more severely than..." the hunter stopped there. "No, I will show you where the Quints are. I will lead you right to them." He huffed, staring down at Starscream's bloodied fingers. "But first I am going to have to be capable of walking."

Starscream withdrew his fingers. "Your reason?"

Again, Barricade's gaze shifted to Alexis. "You'll understand soon enough."


	65. Amuse

Skywarp could always find the humor in everything. And as he observed his fellow human wingmates, Alexis and the even more human Barricade, he couldn't help but chuckle.

Starscream couldn't kill Barricade, but he _wanted_ to. Alexis couldn't stand Barricade, but she wouldn't let them hurt the hunter anymore. And Thundercracker had grown watchful, his eyes more heavily on the interaction between his fellow Seeker and the much alive Alexis, than Barricade, who oddly hadn't even tried to escape once.

Bored out of his mind from watching Barricade for the third night in the row, Skywarp's gaze fell heavily to the right, his own eyes following where the captured and tied-up Con was looking.

It was no surprise that Alexis was among whom he was watching. She was sitting nearby Starscream, leaning heavily against him while laughing softly at something Thundercracker, who was sitting across from the two, had just said.

Rolling his eyes, because he knew Thundercracker wasn't _ever_ funny, he turned back to his prisoner, finding Barricade looking at him with a large sneer on his mug.

"The rumor is true," Barricade said softly, his words so dim and filled with a subtle edge that Skywarp took notice.

"There is usually a truth to all rumors," the Seeker replied dully.

"Says the one who has spread more than a few himself," Barricade said gruffly.

Skywarp laughed at that. The Con had been the subject of more than a few of Skywarp's malicious words. But that was when the hunter had first joined Megatron's service. And Skywarp had always enjoyed digging up and passing very personal information around when newbies arrived. It proved entertaining, especially with how the subject of the very blown-up details would respond.

Narrowing his eyes, Barricade's eyes flickered back over to the trio before returning to Skywarp.

He went on, "When a member of a bonded Trine takes a mate, the added individual services them all," the Con grimaced. "I understand now why Thundercracker looks at her the way she does, and to think I thought it was rancor. And the way you look at her, your eyes say it all."

The more Barricade talked; the more amusing things became. This time when Skywarp chuckled, his stomach surged with a strange pang.

"Unfortunately some rumors are just rumors," Skywarp said, not mindful of the least that he was revealing more than he should have. Shifting on the ground he was sitting on, his gaze moved and wandered down the Con who was tied to the tree. "Even still, we have a better chance of having her than you ever would."

"You _do_ want her."

Skywarp shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't say no."

Barricade pushed against the twine that held him to the tree, snarling loudly. "_Touch_ her and I will..."

Skywarp stood up at that before leaning against the tree and staring down at the presumptuous Con. "You will do _nothing_. And I would kill you if you tried."

"Try?" The con chuckled before his words turned low with mockery. "I've done _more_ than just try."

Fifteen seconds later, Thundercracker was removing his hands from the hunter's throat as Skywarp tried to permanently wipe away the boastful sneer on Barricade's face.

* * *

Taken off guard duty wasn't supposed to be a bad thing, but for Skywarp, it always seemed to be a punishment instead of an incentive. So he tried to kill Barricade, the Con had asked for it. Slag, _everyone_ wanted the hunter dead. Even Barricade wanted himself dead, but he was just weak and pathetic, and believed he would get some sort of revenge.

Thundercracker didn't seem to want to talk to him since the night before. Starscream kept looking like he wanted to slug him... again because of what he had tried and because Alexis had to attend to Barricade's bruises. But he did accomplish one thing; he had squeezed hard enough that it would be a while before the Con would be able to speak again.

That _was_ funny. And made what he did _almost_ worth it.

Leaning against a tree, the group was taking a midday break. Barricade was supposedly leading them to the Quintessons stronghold. But four days had passed since they first started, and everything looked the same to Skywarp. The only thing that had changed is that they were being followed. And not just by the Cybertronian cat that had been following them for some time, but the Sypont creatures. They were even worse trackers than the feline, and it didn't take more than a few quick and subtle tests to see that they were after Barricade. They wanted him dead too.

Like Skywarp originally believed, _everyone _wanted Barricade dead.

"You okay?" Alexis came up to Skywarp and handed him a pouch of water. He took the liquid, drinking some even though he didn't need it. She was the only one that wasn't angry at him. Considering that he had almost inadvertently killed her, he found that odd. But the female and her ways had been strange to him since he first met her.

"Yeah, I'm grand."

"No, I mean your eye." Alexis pointed. She leaned in, softly passing her fingers over his purple and blue bruised flesh that hindered his perception. Seeing in the minute way of a human was bad enough, being forced to see everything through only one eye was even worse.

"It will heal soon enough. I am sure. Just feels... uncomfortable. I have dealt with worse," he assured her, pleased that she was showing such personal attention to him.

Alexis shook her head, believing that. "I know Barricade is hard to take, but try not to kill him okay? I just got you guys back, and I want to live to get away from this place."

He frowned and then bit his lip, a habit he borrowed from the girl before him. "Once we get that chip out of you, we will be killing him... again."

"Again?" she asked with confusion, her brows bunching.

Skywarp's face took on a wicked grin. "I have a little souvenir from his last termination. Guess it doesn't mean anything now. Pity, his doors made good shelf weights."

"You killed him?"

If Skywarp had been paying attention to her words, and not allowing his eye to wander from her worn shoes, to her tattered and holy pants and up to the handmade leathery leafed shirt that boosted and clung and allowed a peak of flesh before his gaze moved and planted on those stirring green eyes of hers that intensified and glowed under the bright suns, he would have noticed the disturbed state of Alexis' tone.

He continued to speak, bragging with enthusiasm, "Yeah, TC and I did, and it was slaggin' easy. Hard to believe he was Megatron's preferred hunter. We puffed out his spark in less than..." His words faded when Alexis' mouth dropped open.

"Thundercracker too?" she asked, her voice strangled.

"Yes, we were ordered to by Starscream," he easily added.

"Starscream?" she echoed with anguish. Alexis blinked hard and took a step back, her gaze shifting and moving to over her shoulder where Starscream stood several feet away talking to Thundercracker.

Suddenly, but far too late, Skywarp realized he was once more saying more than he should.

"I mean, that is... you see..." he awkwardly stuttered, an action he had not performed in over fifty mega-cycles. But he wanted the girl to like him, wanted her to look at him like she always managed to, with such an open expression of affection that he wouldn't have traded for anything. But the way she looked at him now was painful. He could imagine what thoughts were going on in that active mind of hers, and he felt like a slaggard.

Finally, after several long moments of considering things, she lifted her head back up. "It's okay, Skywarp. You don't have to explain, I understand." Her expression softened, and the frown faded slowly away. "After Starscream was killed, well, I know one can do regretful things when they are hurting... when they are dealing with loss."

Skywarp didn't regret it. The only thing he regretted was that Barricade had been revived. Even as a human, the hunter was an intolerable presence. Fortunately, Skywarp managed to keep that to himself.

"I almost forgot," Alexis spoke softly, eying the weapon that had been taken from Barricade. "I need to borrow your blade, do you mind?"

He didn't even think about it, just pulled the knife out of his holster and flipped it around so she could grab the hilt.

But several minutes later, he noticed that Alexis was no longer in the area, but Starscream and TC were. He followed the path he had seen her take. Skywarp found her down on her knees and leaning over a small lake, the knife pulled down and through her hair, follicles falling down into the water before floating away. But she was having difficulty getting to the back.

Somehow, she realized he was there. "Help me?" Alexis tugged on her long brownish red tresses. "Can't stand this long hair anymore. It just keeps getting in the way." She stood up and handed him the knife. With the smile she offered him along with it, he would have done anything. Alexis turned back around to face him. Registering what she was trying to accomplish, he grabbed her soft follicles and brought the knife down and through them.

"Not too short," she added.

But her words were several seconds too late. Doing the task with alacrity, he had already cut through the lengthened tresses, leaving the very shortened hair behind.

Turning back around, her eyes widened with horror before falling down to the bundle of cut hair that still remained in his hand. The cut filaments feeling as if they were fire, he hurriedly dropped them. Alexis turned back around and leaned further down while staring at her reflection in the water.

Her hair was jagged and crooked and just beyond the nape of her neck. Knowing how females could get about their appearance, he grimaced and waited for the explosion.

Pulling water up and toward her head, she splashed her follicles until they were wet. Going toward him, she roughly snapped the knife out of his hand. Alexis didn't look happy, but despite the firm line to her jaw, she said nothing about it.

"You might as well stay here until I finish. Starscream doesn't like me wandering off alone."

Skywarp nodded his head, and managed not to tell her how ridiculous she looked.

* * *

He didn't know how Alexis did it, but by the time she finished with her hair, she had moderately straight bangs and tresses with damp tendrils that curled from behind her ears and wrapped toward Alexis' cheek. Unaccustomed to her new appearance, he was still relieved that she managed to repair most the damage he had done.

Following her after she was done, Alexis returned to the group, smiling at Starscream's astonished look. Grabbing to the Seeker's offered hand, the two said something as Starscream moved his fingers through her shortened hair. He whispered something to her, his other hand easily dropping down the graceful curve of her back. She blushed and lowered her gaze. Starscream lifted her chin back up, leaning forward and bringing her against him; he kissed her quickly and then kissed her again, this time slow and with purpose, his hands moving and twining behind her back as he locked her in his hold.

But by the enthusiasm she showed, Alexis hardly cared.

* * *

"We could just leave Barricade behind and let the Syponts have him, find the Quintessons on our own." Skywarp offered his suggestion.

"Are you _obtuse_?" Starscream asked with strained incredulity. "Do you want me to hit your other eye? I'll just tie you up to Barricade and let you follow us like a blind Crentor beast." Starscream laughed at his words before growing oppressive in his seriousness. "If we could kill Barricade, he would be dead. Do not forget the ramification there would be on Alexis if he was killed. If anything happens to her because of you, I will throw you and Barricade over the nearest cliff, but not before relieving you of all your appendages."

"Thundercracker?" Starscream directed his attention to his other wingmate.

TC shrugged his shoulders. Alexis was guarding Barricade while the three spoke, and she was doing a better job than Skywarp had. She maintained a distance though, one that was growing minutely. By the look of the tension working its way into Starscream's back the longer they spoke; he knew the Supreme Seeker was far from happy with the arrangement.

"Alexis said they were frightened of water. The river nearby looks like it goes on for miles. If we travel through it, they will not be able to track us, and it will cover our scent as well."

Skywarp spoke with caustic enthusiasm, "How do we go about that? Build a craft? Should I go collect _twigs_ and _sticks_, perhaps we can build a nice little..."

He clamped his mouth shut and shrank under Starscream's glare. He fought not to say anything further.

"We can swim," Thundercracker said, ignoring his wingmate's sarcastic mood.

Starscream became further ruffled at that, anger coloring his face a curious shade of pink. "Swim?! With a prisoner and in Alexis' state? Just when I thought you were proving how astute you can be, Thundercracker, you frag it up with that suggestion."

"It's not that far," TC asserted.

Starscream pushed between the two, shoving them out of the way as he stood beyond them. "Far enough for too many things to go wrong," he spoke tersely.

"I believe we can make it," Thundercracker continued to try. "And Alexis has recovered sufficiently enough."

Starscream flashed around, his fists curled and his arms planted stiffly along his body. "Believing and actually making it is two _entirely_ separate things. If I didn't know you, I would think you..."

"Uh, guys?" Skywarp spoke up.

"What is it now?" Starscream snapped.

He shook his head. "I don't think we are going to have to do anything."

Skywarp had only turned his back for a moment to watch Thundercracker and Starscream's discussion, but that moment was enough. Alexis and Barricade were lying unconscious several feet away. Floating mechandroids hovered above the ground, weapons aimed. He hadn't seen one of those robots in hundreds of mega-cycles. They were as much as a rumor as their masters the Quintessons.

The last thought Skywarp had as his holo-form began to malfunction was how funny it was that they had weapons aimed on them when it was so obviously not needed. But as his form scrambled further and his consciousness drifted into a corridor of pain; it didn't seem as funny.


	66. Collaboration

They were fragged.

Thundercracker should have felt better when after he rebooted, he found he was back in his real body. But he was bound by stasis cuffs that kept him immobile and trapped. Optics clearing of static, he saw that his trinemates were also in the same predicament.

Where they were was absolute pitch black, even his ultra-advanced scanners could not cut through the darkness. Several minutes later, he sensed Starscream coming awake and then Skywarp soon after that. The moment Skywarp rebooted was when lights came on overhead, it charged through the dark and illuminated a metal perch that rested high above them.

He glanced around him now that he could see. But besides confirming that his wingmates were with him, and that he could sense them again, TC also saw that where they were located was empty and void with a long stretch of hard ground that held nothing but the three of them.

A voice started to speak, no, voices, each sentence finishing and ending by another vocal. They were high-pitched, another low, another scratchy, and another warbling along as if signing to an unheard orchestra.

The low voice started the vocal exchange before dying away into the sing-song voice of the next.

"You are wondering why..."

"...you are here."

"I don't give a frag." Starscream interrupted. "Where is Alexis?"

"That, _Decepticon_..."

"...is a good question."

A figure stepped forward, moving through the brightness and stopping at the edge. Even from the height and distance, it was easy to make out the form of Barricade.

"You won't have to worry about her anymore. She is mine now, payment for bringing you here." He turned around, addressing an unseen figure. "I did as you requested. Do with them as you promised, kill them. Their deaths will cause great chaos in the Decepticon ranks, losing a second commander so soon will give you what you want. You will be able to eliminate all the Decepticons easily and the Autobots too."

"Kill them?" one of the voices said with incredulity and humor.

"No, we shall not..."

"...do that just yet."

"You see; we gleaned much from your Cybertronian processor..." the low voice said.

"...plans that Megatron had in mind... Plans that will require..."

"...the female," high-pitched vocals finished.

"Slag no! I did not have her brought here for you to..." his words stopped. One of the floating robots came up behind him and tazed the Decepticon. He fell to his knees, electricity rolling off his body in waves.

A voice thundered through, different from all the others; it was loud and absolute. "Silence, Decepticon. You had your chance to prove yourself and failed. Your purpose has been served."

With that, Barricade was dragged away, disappearing in the brightness.

"Megatron was mad," Starscream spoke up. "What he had in mind for the female was the product of a faulty processor."

"Or untainted brilliance," the high-pitched voice added with glee.

"We will use the female as..."

"... Megatron intended."

"She will serve us well." All the voices said in unison.

The low-toned inflection spoke again, slowly and with pronounced clarity, "And we have chosen who will be her genetic provider, who is..."

"...the most compatible with her," the sing-song voice added.

The stern vocals broke through, shattering through the others. It spoke completely and uninterrupted by the others. "Thundercracker, you will serve us well, or we will kill your wingmates and destroy every world and everyone you have ever come in contact with."

Starscream cursed and yelled out, trying to move.

Thundercracker addressed the speakers, shaking his head. He knew what they were saying, but he wouldn't wrap his processor around it. "I am not her mate; she is..."

"No longer, you will take his place. She is formatted as such..."

"... that while drugged, she will not now the difference." The words were harmonized out with the low-toned speaker, blending and breaking off on its own.

Starscream started to laugh with a mirth that was unbalanced and disturbed. His frame vibrated from the force of it, his optics burning low.

"You have no idea, no idea that it is already too late!" Starscream belted out, his words heavy with animosity and for those who knew him too well, a hint of fear.

"It's never too late..." the high-pitched one crooned.

"...your connection to the female ends here." The fierce and oppressive vocals finished, the words reverberating off the high walls and the unseen ceiling.

Their stasis cuffs rippled with electricity, throwing them once more into darkness and pain.

* * *

This time when he came to, Thundercracker found he was alone. No, shifting as much as he could, he saw Alexis spread out on a medical slab. She wasn't moving, but by the regular uplifting of her chest, he knew she was breathing.

He was caged, and an energy field rippled around and above him. Testing it almost as soon as he identified it, pain worse than before strangled his cabling and made his Energon boil. Managing to stand back up, he found the cage had retracted, becoming smaller than before. Unable to move a parnec, he was forced to remain absolutely still.

Hours passed. Drones came and went. They took readings of Alexis, monitoring her and injecting her with some sort of liquid. Unconscious, she jerked and twitched before stilling again. Cursing, he spat out threats to the sparkless robot. They were as worthless as the energy he used to emit them.

Forced to stand and watch, more hours passed. Restlessness hit him, futility as well that made him feel more confined than the cage he was in. If he was Starscream, he would have been able to spend the tortured moments imagining what he would do to the drones and the Quintessons when he got free. If he was Skywarp, he would have heckled the drones and just made an all out pain of himself until they were forced to deal with him. As himself, his analytical processor had already gone through one hundred and forty-two ways that would _not_ result in his freedom.

He had been through worse and survived. Thundercracker knew he would survive this as well. The only question was what was going to happen to all of them before he got free?

* * *

Three days had gone by since he was put in the medical lab with Alexis. The drones didn't visit as regularly as they did when he first arrived, but they returned often enough to send his emotional protocols into havoc.

TC had seen Skywarp and Starscream blasted, tortured, maimed, sliced, blown up and cut through, but watching Alexis periodically scanned, tested, checked and drugged affected him more than that ever did.

He _was_ fragged, _completely_ fragged. And what he was feeling as he watched her prone form on the small table was wrong and misplaced, but he couldn't dismiss it.

Hearing something, he turned as much as he could. But the sound was outside his range of movement. When someone appeared in front of him, he had to lower his head and divert his optics to the small form that almost disappeared below the rim of the cage.

It was Barricade and he was filthy. His face, torn clothes and body were plastered with dried blood, his flesh with grime and dirt. His wrists had evident burn marks on them and patches of missing skin.

"Everyone keeps trying to kill me," Barricade spat, chuckling darkly. "But I still manage to get free before one of you _great_ and _mighty_ Seekers." Barricade shifted on his feet and looked up and over Thundercracker. "You don't look well," he stated with open enjoyment.

"I could say the same for you."

"Yes, perhaps. But the difference is that I am out here, and you... _Thundercracker_ are... in _there_." He chuckled again. Making a motion with his hand, he waved it before TC's prison. "Is that Trivolion shielding? You're as good as fragged," he noted with further amusement.

"Not quite yet," Thundercracker assured.

"Really? And just how..." Barricade clamped his mouth shut when the medical lab door opened. Shooting behind Thundercracker's cage, he peered beyond.

It was then that Barricade noticed Alexis, then that they both watched the drone approach Alexis. The day before she had been carefully clamped to the table with pliable manacles on her legs and hands, and a large glass human-sized jar had been brought in and filled with thick liquid that Thundercracker had yet to identify.

The drone exited. As soon as it did, Barricade rushed to Alexis. He reached out a hand and then pulled it back when he saw how dirty he was. He shifted violently around and returned to Thundercracker.

The hunter tensed. Barricade's thick shoulder and arm muscles became visible under the thin cloth of the shirt he now wore, showing that his time on the dome had hardened and leaned him, and that he had worked and equipped the human body he was provided with.

He spoke, his words gruff and his tone tense, "This is how it's going to go down." He sneered with repugnance, his hazel eyes darkening as he shifted his fingers though his dirty hair. "You can remain in your prison, or I can free you, and you can help me dismantle that drone and get to Alexis."

Thundercracker stared down at Barricade. If it wasn't for the fact that he was indeed free, he would have discounted the words as slag. "And what makes you think I won't kill you the moment I am free? I have not forgotten that it is because of you that we are here to begin with," Thundercracker spoke calmly but tension was visible in his precise inflections.

"You've killed me before, once should be enough for any lifetime."

"I can make an exception for you."

Barricade huffed loudly at that and grew impatient. "Yes, you could. But you are going to need me if you want to get away from the Quintessons. I have been here before. And have had a couple more days to do further Recon. I know how to get away from here; I know how to get away."

"No."

Barricade twisted his head further up, astounded by his answer. "_No_? Is your processor scrambled? I can get us away from here, what part do you not understand?"

Thundercracker leaned forward as much as he could and locked his optics with the male's eyes. "The part where you take Alexis and leave me to the security forces, do not think I don't know what you keep looking at." Thundercracker motioned to the hidden security sensor that could be activated silently.

The Con's mouth curled along the edge of the right side. "Slag, Seeker. So trusting."

Thundercracker motioned down. "And we both know that there must be another one attached to this cage. Yes, you'll free me all right, just long enough to get what you want."

It took several moments for Barricade to speak again, but once he did, he was more determined."I know how to deactivate the security. And I know that I won't get very far without you," he admitted with hostility. "I _can't _get away without you," he said with resentful unease. "You will have to trust me, and _I_ will have to trust _you_ if we want to get out of this alive."

TC chuckled dryly, both for how hard Barricade was trying to convince him and for himself who had no choice but to go along with it. "You do not understand the meaning of _trust_," Thundercracker said with certainty, "and have repeated the word far too often, which means you really want _something_ badly. However, free me and I will _not_ kill you. I give you my word."

Barricade's lids fell low as the Con examined him through the fleshy slits. "Yes, I know you won't. I have watched you over the mega-cycles, Thundercracker. You are crippled by an honor code, stunted by a perverted morality. You will do as you say."

"Now that that is settled..."

Barricade smiled wide. "I will first deactivate the security system. While I am doing that, I advise that you begin working on condensing your body as much as possible. Unfortunately, though, I will not be able to free you without the field of your cell being activated once or twice."

"On purpose or by accident?"

Barricade's smile mutated into a grin.


	67. Immutable

Things could have been going better, _would_ have been better if Thundercracker wasn't part of the equation. But his human form left him sensory blind, and Barricade needed the Seeker's scanners to avoid the Quintessons' security details.

Leading the Decepticon, they made their way into a long-abandoned corridor that had been buried and covered by millennia of new passageways, walls and rooms. He had discovered the back passage by accident during his escape when the drones came to end him, and learned quickly enough that they were unable to track beyond the thick layers of materials and structural components. The dark corridors held elements of several alien cultures; one, in particular, dominated the rest by its eerie branch like twisted walls and organic sinewy ground, all layered with a wet glimmering sheen that while dry to the touch, smelled of things better not thought of.

The two had been walking for some time, winding through the maze-like tunnels as Thundercracker followed Barricade. The Seeker held onto Alexis, and he hadn't let her go since he freed the Con several hours previous. Feeling as if his skin was on permanent crawl with his chest heavy and his mind racing, he was not happy with that arrangement at all. The longer they remained in the caliginous passages, the more compressed he felt the walls were becoming. But it was just a reflection of how he felt, the uncontrollable circumstances forcing his mind into creating manifestations that easily blended with the surrounding luminescent alien walls.

The Quintessons betrayal wasn't a surprise, them trying to kill him wasn't much either, but he somehow expected more than to be stuck as an unwilling companion with one of the Seekers. He had believed the Quintessons would have at least fragged the three fliers, but even that had been denied him. Now miserable most of the times due to his fleshy state of circumstances, the only thing that brought Barricade even a moment of forgetfulness of the loss of his Cybertronian body was held by one of the mechs he despised the most in the galaxy.

As slagged as he felt, Barricade knew, one way or another, that he was going to turn everything around. That whatever it took, he was going to end up with the two things he wanted the most, and that he would destroy, kill, hunt, betray, _anything_ it took to get them, and to the pit with whoever presumed to get in his way.

But he was still thinking as a Decepticon, not as the limited human he was. But he had yet to reduce his mentality as far as the humans had to, and would not allow himself to fully realize how fragged he really was.

Everything was quiet between the two Cons. Alexis still unconscious. She was on Thundercracker's outstretched hand, his other covering her as he walked slowly.

Barricade spoke, not liking the need to explain himself, "We need to stop for a moment. There is a supply room nearby. I am going to collect some water and grab some subsistence. I will be back shortly."

He didn't give Thundercracker time to reply. Disappearing inside a cramped duct, he slid through the hollowed tube until he reached an access point. Grabbing as much as he could fit inside a bag he managed to make, Barricade crawled back inside the duct, slowed down by the weight added by the supplies.

Returning, he must have been even quieter than he thought. Thundercracker was so involved in what he was doing that his return went unnoticed.

The Seeker was touching Alexis. His digit passed over her body, resting momentarily near her heart and then moving along, leveling off and curling along her waist before sliding down her thigh and reluctantly pushing off at her leg.

"What the _frag_ do you think you are doing?"

Startled and surprised, Thundercracker pulled back his digit as if a bomb ignited on its tip.

"She still hasn't shown signs of consciousness, I was nearly..."

"You corrupt her by your touch. I was mistaken, but I now understand why you look at her the way you do. Touch her again as you just were, and when I kill you, and I _will_ kill you; I will make it an even slower death than planned, one that will be an instruction on just how much I know of pain, what forms it can take, and how long I can make it last," he threatened with a scorched tone.

Thundercracker tilted his head down, watching Barricade as he spoke. The hunter was shaking along the tight edges of his body, overwhelmed by anger and assaulted by repugnance. Seeing the Seeker touch her as he had been overstimulated the aggressive neural pathways to his already sensitized brain. They didn't deserve to touch her, not Starscream, not Thundercracker, not any of them. She should have never gotten away from him all those years ago. He should have never handed her to the medic, or allowed his lust for the female to cloud his judgment and engender mistakes.

The longer he knew her, the more he realized that he needed her. More than just to touch, more than just to hear, but to feel and have and try to understand. The possibility of continuing without her suddenly choked him, sending his rapidly pulsing heart into a state of exasperated frenzy. The air turned thick and the space around him swirled and danced, a cloud of mist appearing before his eyes before dissipating into specks that descending slowly through the stray patches of light.

He breathed in deep and the air cleared, the tremors on his body halting as if a switch had been flipped. Now was not the time to get emotional, not when he was so close. His eyes shifted to the bundle of flesh that rested on TC's palm before his gaze shifted to the Seeker's dim optics.

Thundercracker addressed him, not affected by what Barricade had said. "You are even more delusional and dysfunctional than I recall. As I said _before_, I was merely checking on her condition."

"Spare me, Seeker. I _know_ what I saw. But let's save this discussion for another time." He picked the bag back up that he had dropped. "It's time for us to finish this journey, so that we can end this _alliance._"

* * *

Too much could happen in a short time. He led them to his body as he planned, instead of escaping the compound as promised. But that little treachery was expected but also turned into a worthless effort.

Seeing his body again, the tragedy of his reality crashed through his bloodstream when the holo-generators of his body were destroyed by Thundercracker, revealing his mech form as an illusion. It was then that he knew it was gone. The Quints took what they needed from it and destroyed the leftover shell.

He was stuck as a human.

At his worst and internally shattered, he didn't notice when Starscream and Skywarp found them. However, he did notice how Alexis woke the moment her bonded touched her, those green eyes of her sparking with life as she sat up and moved toward Starscream.

The Seekers talked, actions quickly put in place, and before he could think of revenge or decide on what he needed to do, Barricade was forced through an opened portable, the same tech that had brought him there to begin with, or so he presumed. They had stayed long enough for Starscream to rig a time delayed incendiary device, long enough that the Quintessons broke through the barricade that the Seekers had put up during his internal crisis of unawareness, long enough for him to turn around and watch the explosions begin, fire and heat trailing behind them as they exited on the other end.

The Quintessons wouldn't be recovering from that any time soon. And as the portal shut down and scattered away, hopelessness wrapped around the once great Decepticon hunter, offering him no comfort as misery burned the outer layers of his binding human flesh.

* * *

"You have _no_ purpose, _nothing_ to live for," Starscream said to Barricade, finding the hunter staring down at the recycling plant as he watched the mindless drones work on the ground floor. His thoughts were jumbled and hard, and it took him a moment to focus on the Seeker. "And I have every reason to kill you, what shall I do with you?"

"The device that..."

Starscream stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"Skywarp removed that from Alexis an hour ago. You really should pay attention, Barricade. One would think you are... _losing_ yourself." The Seeker chuckled at that before bending down. "Where was I? Oh yes, what to do with you."

"I don't care. Just do it," Barricade lashed out.

Starscream glanced over his right wing, then tilted his head, listening for what, Barricade couldn't tell. The Air Commander seemed satisfied.

"Not just yet," Starscream paused. "I have an... offer for you."

Barricade huffed with disinterest, "Quick death, slow death, painful death, or even more painful death? Do what you must, let's get it over with."

Starscream smiled. Chills went up Barricade's spine as he stretched his back into a straight line, a resemblance of fear washing through his nerve endings as the dominant mech overflowed with suffocating confidence, causing the human hunter further disturbance.

"But you _do_ care. You care about Alexis. And you would do anything to be near her, anything to see her, anything _not_ to be separated from her?"

The human Con said nothing. Starscream chuckled. By then Barricade's head was splitting with pain, too much stimulation and too little resolution. He didn't understand where the Seeker was leading, but with Starscream's lack of impatience, he knew he wouldn't have to wait long.

"You will be _mine_. You weren't a threat before and you most certainly aren't now. But your size could be used as advantage, your humanity as a resource. You will do whatever I want, whenever I want. You will go to the pit for me if you must, you will do everything and whatever you have to. I own you."

"Megatron is the only master I served. And this... human shell limits me, disables my..."

Hastily, Starscream cut him off, "I know the weakness of your form and what disadvantages it comes with. You will make do. You will adapt. You will do what you must because even life as a human is better than none. As for Megatron..."

"...Such _belief _in me, you make me want to split my own head open."

"Don't interrupt me, _ever _again," Starscream warned, his tone turning acidic and deadly, his optics flashing with detest. Yes, the Seeker wanted to kill him, badly. But he was no longer in a hurry. Just as quickly as the anger came, it slipped away. He cheerfully went on, "As I said, you have nothing to live for, no purpose. But I am going to give you one."

"Why would I do anything for you? What can you possibly offer me?"

Again, Starscream smiled, the uplifting tilt of his mouthpiece more disturbing than the last.

"_Alexis_. I am going to allow you to see her. I am going to allow you to feel a speck of hope, even if it is an illusion. You would do anything to be near her, and I will give you that... at a maintainable distance of course." Starscream stretched down, his large face dominating Barricade's small body. Digits wrapped around his body and squeezed. "Your life is mine. Your purpose is _my_ purpose. Serve me, or I will end this now." The Seeker squeezed even tighter, his rib cage compressed and dark spots formed in front of his eyes. "Well?"

Barricade knew what was happening. He had seen it before. Starscream wanted to toy with him, strip him of whatever dignity he had left, crush him, use him, and when he least expected it – kill him.

But he was mortal and with that came a new perspective on death, one that left a bad taste on his tongue as his own lips betrayed him.

"You will never be my true master."

"Wrong, _human_. I already am."

* * *

As Alexis attended to Barricade's wounds, Starscream's sharp optics watching the entire time, the hunter somehow understood that it might be the last time she would ever touch him, the last time she would ever be so close.

"I'm sorry," Alexis whispered to him, a frown turning her full mouth into a slanted angle as she sought his eyes with her own. He stared deeply, and for a moment of delusion and self-deception, he felt that everything was as it was supposed to be.

But everything was wrong and twisted, corrupt and far too permanent. Barricade could have told Alexis of the bargain he made with Starscream, informed the female of how Starscream really was. But it wouldn't have done him any good or gained him anything. Not yet.

"What are you sorry about?"

He wanted to force his world to remain like this, with her with him, her hand hovering along his flesh, Alexis close enough that they nearly shared the same space. A couple of days of his cuts and gashes going untreated, left him an ugly infection and peeling skin. The torn flesh smelled as well, and he forced himself to ignore the fact that she breathed out of her mouth, tiny inhalations taken as she continued to clean and attend to him.

"About you being stuck as a human, I mean, I know I probably shouldn't be, but it must be devastating, must make you feel..." She frowned. "I'm just sorry, that's all."

"You are never going to stop are you?" he admonished.

"Stop what?" The more they exchanged words, the more evident her discomfort became. But she was the one who spoke to him first, whether out of uneasiness or just the need to fill the gap of his brooding, watchful silence. None of that mattered though, he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass.

"All this sentiment, this softness, this _feeling_."

"No, I suppose not." Alexis wrinkled her nose. "I should be glad this has happened to you, after everything you have done to me. If anyone deserved something bad to..." She stopped and quickly changed the topic. "I won't let Starscream or the others kill you. You went about it kinda badly, but you did, in your way, help me these last months. Maybe you can use this second chance, reevaluate your life and... find something better. Prove you aren't so... irredeemable."

"You still hate me," he said, observing her carefully.

Alexis shifted, her mouth pressing together tight, her fingers moving to push small curls of her reddish-brown hair back behind her ears. She thought about his words for a moment, glancing up for a second before she spoke.

"I don't like you, and I hate the things you have done. But I will forgive you again, with much prayer and time," she said quietly, more to herself than to him.

"You _are_ too soft," he criticized, all the while knowing that as much as it repelled him, it also always served to intrigue.

Alexis ignored his words and pushed on with her own. She kept her head down, overly preoccupied in the task before her. "After we get back, I don't ever want to see you again, Barricade." Alexis finally looked up at him to cement her words. Barricade didn't like what he saw in her eyes and found himself looking away to escape the sincerity that lie within them. "What you feel for me, it's nothing that won't pass, just misplaced feelings that were polluted with... I don't know... bad intentions and unrealistic domination."

"_No_. I love you," he told her. This time allowing the truth to dominate his uneasiness of the words. He wanted to touch her, _really_ touch her, just a hand, just a finger, that would have been enough as long as _his_ flesh was against her own. He didn't move though, not with the way in which Starscream fidgeted and stared, his wings tensed high on his back panel in warning, his hands twisting around a nearby railing. Barricade exhaled a tight breath instead and then breathed Alexis in deep. Her scent didn't ease his intentions, and slowly, he did as he needed to.

She finished up with the last bandage. His fingers now rested on the tips of her own, trying to will her from moving away.

"Maybe you do," Alexis allowed. "But you shouldn't. Go have a life, Barricade. Forget about who you were and move toward something better," she encouraged, but the more she spoke of such things, the more of an unsettling feeling shifted in his belly.

He spoke, his voice marred with hostility that he tried not to direct at her, but failed, "I am who I am. This flesh does not change that," he added. But his own lack of belief in the statement made what he said sound weak and empty.

Cringing at his tone, Alexis pulled her fingers away from his. Her eyes landed on his briefly, allowing him to see a glimmer of the uneasiness that tainted their depths. Too quickly, she looked away, her attention already turning to Starscream, who was waiting for her.

"Goodbye, Barricade."

Those unexpected words of hers struck at him hard with their finality. She didn't expect to see him again; she didn't want to see him again. With an anguish the hunter didn't know himself capable of, he watched Alexis leave him and join the others. Not long after that she departed with Starscream.

Barricade finally comprehended. A purpose. He _did_ have a purpose. _Two_ purposes, the same as before, and now thanks to Starscream's _generosity_ he might just have the means to obtain both, if he lived long enough.

It wasn't hope, it wasn't much of anything, but it was a start.


	68. Aftermath

They were three days past due.

Skywarp was unconcerned, but Thundercracker knew something was wrong. Since their departure from the recycling plant, Starscream had been blocking the Trine's bond, keeping the two out of his processor while he reunited with and traveled with the human.

It wasn't until several hours after he made the decision to send a scouting party after the two that the link between the Seekers' opened long enough for a short transmission, one word broadcasted along with a location.

"_Come_."

Leaving immediately, he left Skywarp behind and in command. They could no longer afford to leave Cybertron unguarded, not until they managed to boost their ranks and work out the loyalties of those that resided there.

The location provided was clear and detailed. Following the uploaded map was as simple as entering it into his guidance systems. The directions led him to the planet Abolin, one of the worlds the Seekers obtained during their many campaigns. Abolin had been long abandoned and was a desolate, frozen and forsaken world.

Or it had been the last time he was there. Now in orbit and scanning the surface, he found it had been replenished and revived, suitable for lifeforms. It was filled with a plethora of colors and organic plants, water flowing through shallow brooks and the atmosphere maintaining a cool temperature now that the planet had shifted closer to its neighboring sun.

Finished with a planetary scan, he began his descent, choosing a trajectory that would give him a clear aerial view of the area he was supposed to go to before he commenced landing. Breaking through the thin atmosphere, he descended slowly. Large stalks of organic stems rustled as he flew overhead. The bundles of growth reminded him of the Earth plant corn, if not for the purple filaments that shot out from orange bulbous orbs that grew along the hollow shafts.

The stalks suddenly became a vision of destruction, and the signs of fire were still hinted at from the smoke that climbed and darkened the sky above. His scanners picked up Energon and blood in an area that was ripped free of the stalky plants. Transforming, he landed nearby. For a moment of rarity, the Seeker found himself immobilized. There were pieces of metal and armor on the ground, a wing not far away from his pediforms. Whatever happened, Starscream had not been the victor.

He spotted more blood. It lined the ground scarlet red and took off. Small footprints were left behind, others, larger ones, following after. It led him to a thick patch of overgrowth, the purple grass marred by further blood and patches of Energon. His scanners stopped abruptly, a malfunction that forced him to stop his movement. He suddenly felt her. Even with his scanners off-line, he felt the energy of the female, felt it tingling and trailing outwards.

Getting down, he parted the thick grass. A growl shook the air, and a small form ran toward Thundercracker, stopping short and growling still. The Cybertronian cat's furry back was agitated with sharp ridges and spikes, its tail flailing back and forth, its optics alert and vengeful.

"Where did you come from?"

It was the same feline from the Quitesson's dome, and while he had only seen glimpses of it, he recognized it immediately.

"How did you get here?"

The cat leaned forward on its paws, razor teeth exposed. It pounced. Thundercracker easily swiped the cat away. Its claws still managed to scrape a large gap along his servo, exposing circuitry and cutting through some of his exposed wires. Energon gushed down his arm and dripped down his digits. The feline rolled and curled, pounced back onto his paws and then in mid-run disappeared completely. Thundercracker was unable to track the creature.

But he didn't need to. A flash of revelation coming, he decided on exploring the blackout zone that lined his sensory equipment. The feline was blocking and covering up something, and TC was determined to find out what.

Blind without his scanners, the Seeker had to travel carefully, for in the back of his processor, he knew exactly what the feline was protecting and why he was so territorial of the area.

He found her. If he didn't have that energy signature of hers to follow, Thundercracker could have tracked the patches of blood and torn vegetation. She was unconscious. He knew that before he parted and tore away the surrounding grass. Getting down on his knee plates, the feline attacked again. This time, the Seeker was prepared. Getting off a shot from his sonic detonator, he disabled the cat. But it was partially organic, and it didn't stop him completely. Holding the feline down with one hand while ignoring the claws, the teeth and the razor-sharp tail and back that dug and ripped, he used a digit and carefully turned Alexis around.

His tank shifted uncomfortably. The left side of her face was torn by claw marks, her right arm ripped and showing familiar sized bite marks. But the cat he was holding down was too small to have caused such markings.

_Soundwave._

Soundwave had found Starscream and Alexis and by the visual display of battle that showed in the girl's torn clothes, Energon trails and identifiable but nearly dissipated energy signals, he knew who had attacked her.

Ravage.

Releasing the feline, he examined him. He had been too occupied before to notice, but he saw the marks of battle along the hybrid's left side, saw the damage to his left paw and understood now why he didn't attack as openly as he could have if he had been up to full operational capacity.

"Soundwave," Thundercracker said out loud, his words heavy and venomous, his optics still placed on the damaged form of Alexis.

The feline stopped its movement and tilted its head, his optics brightening. An onslaught of visual data intruded Thundercracker's processor, coming in distorted patches. He saw from the feline's point of view, saw as it engaged its stealth mode and went through the portal, saw later when it hid and attached to Starscream's jet form, traveling through the stars with the pair.

The playback continued a little further, long enough to let Thundercracker see the beginning of what had happened. Soundwave didn't track the two, didn't have mercenaries or bounty hunters after them, didn't even plot and scheme and trick the pair to the planet. It was Starscream and Alexis, who had the misfortune of coming along Megatron's communication officer and his army who had been hidden away on a planet long forgotten about.

The connection was terminated.

* * *

"She is stable. She will survive, for now," Knock out informed. "Her nanites are still inhibited, but in time..."

Thundercracker's gaze shifted to where the human rested. Alexis was still unconscious, but at least she now looked comfortable. The feline that had settled long enough for TC to carry him back to Cybertron went wild on their arrival when he was separated from the girl. After being treated, he was placed in a small cage nearby Alexis. The cat paced its small cage, optics alert and tail darting in unease.

"For now?"

The medic's mouthpiece curled up before dying into a more carefully placed frown. Thundercracker had placed the doctor in stasis many months previous, giving Knock Out some time to consider his circumstances and priorities. But he could put him back, not that he would. If the medic went against him again, or tried anything, it would be his end. The medic's life was his, which was understood in the paranoid, careful manner in which he attended to the girl.

"She's going to be dead in a year, maybe two," Knock Out said. He grabbed a cloth off a nearby stand, polishing his armor and working down his arm, removing the residual Friiox freezing gel from his frame as he methodically cleaned and polished himself.

"Explain yourself," Thundercracker spoke quietly. It was the brittle tone of voice that made the medic drop the cloth in surprise, that or the way the Seeker grabbed his shoulder panels and shoved him against the nearest wall. He was in no mood for the flippant manner of the Con and would not be treated like some toy to be wound up and watched afterward.

"Slag," the medic turned his head to the side, staring at TC's talons that were buried along his upper paneling. "You're leaving marks."

"Yes." He pushed his face before Knock Out's. "I'm going to release you, you are going to tell me what you mean, and you are not going to take any shortcuts, make any unnecessary remarks, or deviate from the topic at hand. Do you understand?" He dug his talons deep, making sure to snip at some of the wires underneath.

The doctor replied with nervous unease, "I... Yes! I understand. But remember, it's me that is treating the human, me that can save her!"

Thundercracker released the medic but didn't back up.

"Speak."

And the medic did speak, telling Thundercracker things and showing him scans. By the time he was done, the Seeker was forced into astounded silence. Giving TC a wary look, the medic grabbed another cloth, going back to cleaning himself as he stared at his reflection in the nearby wall, shaking his head and cringing when he saw the damage done to his shoulder panel.

"She's with spark?"

"By the looks of it, not long since after her arrival here. And there is also, as I showed you, a fetal heartbeat. She had two growths inside of her."

"Die?"

His sudden lack of effective communication did not go unnoticed by Knock Out. The medic's mouth curled around the side and lifted. Shifting up and standing straight, the medic's processor visibly spanned. He shrugged his shoulders, flinching.

"She's a _human,_ remember, incapable of bringing a spark to term. The process involved will probably kill her."

Thundercracker noticed the medic's careful selection of words, and identified what that meant. "You don't know for sure. You _can't_ know for sure. Anything you say is mere supposition and best guesses."

Knock out lifted an optic ridge. "From the scans I took of her, these growths are already siphoning her resources. At the rate of their growth and..."

"You _can _save her?" Thundercracker needed to know. Once more, things were becoming distorted and uncertain, a state that the Seeker was not accustomed to or willing to tolerate. But neither would he tolerate the loss of her life.

"Of course, I can terminate them. She never needs to know," Knock Out replied with enthusiasm, looking more than willing to perform surgery on the human.

"No," the Seeker answered, the gruffness lowering his vocals a couple of decibels as he glared at the medic for even daring to state such a thing. Alexis had life inside of her, _their_ life. And he couldn't just disregard and destroy it as easily as that. There had to be more solutions. There was going to be another solution.

"Oh, I see." Knock Out grabbed a nearby data pad, his digit flipping along the surface of the screen as he performed calculations. "We can remove the growths, if you want. But that would kill the human. But you Seekers haven't had progeny in how many mega-cycles?" the medic probed slyly.

"No."

"Starscream never needs to know either," Knock Out offered. "And it's not like he's here right now."

"I _said_ no."

The doctor huffed. "Seems your word of the moment." He crossed his arms across his silver and red chassis, taking a comfortable stance. "What _exactly_ do you want me to do?"

Thundercracker's optics swept the medical lab, and as if a magnet drifted back toward the unmoving form of Alexis.

"How long for her to bring them to term?"

The medic eagerly responded. "From what data I have managed to glean so far, and as unprecedented as this is, at the rate of growth I would say two years, maybe three."

"Humans normally only take nine months."

"Yeah, but she stopped being a _normal_ human when she started sparking and fragging Starscream," Knock Out argued.

"If you are in any way lying to me..." Thundercracker let his words hang as he threatened, his tone pronouncing what would happen to the doctor, if he was. He could have gotten a second opinion, if Alexis' condition wasn't something so personal and rare. For now, until he spoke to Alexis directly, he could not afford to bring in outsiders, not even the Autobot medic that had treated the human before. Besides, Knock Out may have been arrogant, smug and annoying, but he was still a capable medic.

Knock out valued his life a great deal, and it showed as he tried to reason his way out of death. "You saw the data. You saw the scans... you must have known someone was wrong with her... maybe she acted differently or... and Starscream certainly had to know, think back... he must have said something... something that might have been curious at the time... something... odd..." Knock out stared at the Seeker, carefully hidden apprehension forcing his optic ridges to tense in a straight line.

"_Swim?! With a prisoner and in Alexis' state? Just when I thought you were proving how astute you can be, Thundercracker, you frag it up with that suggestion._" Starscream's words raced through Thundercracker's processor.

And more.

"_You have no idea, no idea that it is already too late!" Starscream belted out, his words heavy with animosity and for those who knew him too well, a hint of fear._

Starscream _did_ know. At the time, TC didn't think much of Starscream's choice of words, but now, Thundercracker understood Starscream's underlying anger and frustration.

"Tell her," Thundercracker finally said, now that he had made his decision.

"Tell her?" the medic repeated with astonishment. "You want _her_ to make the decision? She's only the carrier, the incubator... the breeder."

"She's Alexis, mate to Starscream and mistress of any who serve our cause. And you do serve our cause, do you not, Knock Out?" TC asked with unmistakable aggression.

Knock Out's words became twisted and garbled. "I... I... I am going to go check up on the hum... on," he struggled with the next words, especially the first, "_Mistress_ Alexis."

"Yes, you do that, and remember..."

"Tell no one, open my mouthpiece, and I am slagged," he finished. "Understood already." Knock Out sauntered off.

* * *

When she woke, she was to find her parents and friends waiting for her. It was the least Thundercracker could do, and the most he could think of. Waiting for Mikaela and the toddler to leave Alexis, he motioned for the medic to leave them alone.

And he was all alone with her. The feline escaped during Alexis' stay. A search had been instigated only to find that feline was with Barricade. The cat had imprinted itself on the human Con as well, and seemed willing to keep itself in check as long as it was near him. Too involved with everything else that was happening on the base, he allowed the animal to go off with the human hunter on one of his assignments. Still not happy with the arrangement Starscream had made with Barricade, or even understanding why, he was forced to allow that to remain as it was for now as well.

She must have felt his presence, for she turned around and then slowly sat up.

"You want to know what happened," Alexis said. A week had passed since he found and brought her back, four days since she was surrounded by her parents and friends. This was his first opportunity alone with her since she woke up, even Skywarp had been to see her several times. But Thundercracker had a lot to think about, and he didn't want to see her until he had things better figured out.

"Soundwave," Thundercracker spoke.

"Soundwave," she repeated after, her face dropping along with her voice. Her hand went to the left side of her bandaged face as she remembered. "I can't talk about it right now. What I saw..." she cringed and her eyes flooded with liquid. "Starscream saved me. He got me away, but that animal found me... if it wasn't for Growl..."

"Growl?"

"What I named the feline." She half smiled before wincing. "I know, stupid and all. But I spent two days in and out of consciousness as I bled and tried to move... every time I did, he would growl at me... at first I thought..."

He got down on his knee plate, positioning himself closer so that she didn't have to lift her head so high. "He was Ravage?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah. But he makes Growl look like a kitten. If I have my imploder I could have downed him, as it was, I was lucky to get off as easily as I did."

Thundercracker couldn't believe what he was hearing. He spoke carefully, trying to keep his inflections in check, the effort making them come out tense and hard. "You could have lost your sight, lost your life, lost the life of..."

Alexis' lids rose at his sudden show of emotion, her head shifting along her shoulder to better look at him. "Yeah, I think that is why Ravage stopped attacking me and tried to drag me off. He must have known I was..." Her eyes grabbed hold of his optics. "...pregnant. Fortunately, he isn't as good as a tracker as Growl, and I was able to hide."

"Growl hid you with a cloaking field," Thundercracker informed her.

Her skin tinted a light scarlet beneath his gaze. "Oh. And here I thought I was being clever."

"You weren't."

She chuckled at that and then cringed, her hand going to her chest. "Always the truth with you." She frowned. "Thanks for coming after me," Alexis said with sincere gratitude, her mouth tilting upward.

His wings lifted, and he shrugged dismissively. "It seems to be a habit I'm forming."

"Thundercracker?" she softly said his name.

He bent down closer to the bed. She struggled and moved a little closer. He didn't stop her, not even when she paled and her breathing deepened from the pain. Alexis placed a hand on his nearest digit. He didn't pull away.

"I don't know if Ratchet ever told you this, but the last time he scanned me, he found that, well, that I have stopped aging like humans. Partially, the nanites, partially being with Starscream... anyway, what I am trying to say is that Knock Out doesn't know everything, and if that gets by him, then maybe he is wrong about other things as well."

Alexis stopped for a moment, took a deep breath and then continued, "No, matter what, I am going to see this pregnancy through."

He saw the determination in those green eyes of hers, felt the strength of her resolve, and as she locked her eyes with his optics, things suddenly weren't so complicated.

"Understood."

* * *

It was three weeks later when Alexis was released from the medical bay. She spent more time with her family and friends, her friends who were now permanent residents, her parental units who seemed to be trying to be. Bumblebee, now assigned to Cybertron and the Autobot task force of helping restore their planet, sought out Alexis with relish, causing Thundercracker to intercede and have a chat with the scout. The relationship between the Autobots and Decepticons was already tenuous and fragile, and seeing the Autobot hover and occupy Alexis' time was unacceptable behavior.

"I'm ready to tell you what happened." Alexis came to him on a night that he was certainly not expecting her. She came to his quarters and did not leave until several hours later. It wasn't until she left that he understood that he no longer minded her presence and that he even, despite his willingness to acknowledge it at first, preferred it. Sharing her dreams had forged something sooner than under normal circumstances and passing time, empowering him to understand and know her, and see her as something different.

And now here he was, two days later, waiting for her as he watched Alexis say good-bye to her mother and father, to Mikaela, Zade, Sam and Bumblebee. Leaving them, she turned the corner, stopping momentarily to glance at herself in the glassy reflection of the metal wall. She frowned and leaned forward, her mouth quivering as she fought back the tears. Alexis' hand found her flat stomach, hovering above it and pressing lightly. She straightened and pulled her shoulders back.

To think that the girl who had caused him such discomfort upon her insertion to their group had turned into the giver of their future from what was inside of her, had also grown into something other than just a human and Starscream's unorthodox mate. She was like water, simple and unassuming in its components but capable of changing what was around her with time. With them though, she had changed as well. And she would have to continue to change as she lived around them, accepted what she was and what her future offered.

When Alexis caught him looking at her, she offered a smile. Thundercracker's spark compressed and burned before pulsing with an expectation of what was to come, and who he was about to be spending a great deal of time with, at least until...

Her determined voice broke through his thoughts. "I'm ready, TC. Let's go find Starscream."

Thundercracker informed the squadron and her personal guard to prepare for departure, understanding that one thing had changed for his Trine; her future was now theirs.

* * *

AN:

Well, that's it. Three years, and it's finished. I was planning on writing a trilogy, but due to certain factors, I have decided on ending it here. I did include a little of what I planned for the third novel in here, so I am sure that you may have managed to see little glimmers of hints and revelation of what I had planned. I appreciate those of you that read to the very last typed word, and I thank you that took the time to let me know what you thought, encouragement can go a long way. It's always a little sad to finish, especially when it is a world you have invested so much time and thought into, but finishing is also a great achievement. Writing (or reading) a story, loving a story, and it actually having an ending, well, that's a value on its own.

Thanks again for reading _The Dark Spark of Renewal_ and _Waiting for the Light Before Dawn_!

~shortlived.


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